NEW ORLEANS – Following a pair of impressive performances, Little Rock sophomore guard
Markquis Nowell has been named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week. It is the first all-conference weekly honor of Nowell's career.
Nowell helped guide the Trojans to a pair of victories over the week as the floor general played 79 of Little Rock's 80 minutes in the two games. Against Southwest Baptist, Nowell finished with 20 points, five rebounds, four assists and tied his career-best with five steals, sparking a second half run to lead Little Rock to the 77-59 decision. He was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line, all of which came in the second half.
Three days later, Nowell helped spark another second half surge to lead the Trojans to the 76-56 win over instate rival Central Arkansas in Conway. The sophomore flirted with a triple double against the Bears, finishing with 25 points, eight rebounds and seven assists while adding four more steals. 16 of his 25 points came in the final 20 minutes as he shot 6-of-10 from the floor while dishing out five assists to spark an 18-2 run for Little Rock.
Through the first two weeks of the season, the Harlem, New York native sits atop the Sun Belt Conference leaderboard in scoring (21.3 ppg), free throw percentage (94.1%), assists (5.8 apg), steals (3.4 spg) and minutes (39:42). He is also making a splash on the national scene, ranking fourth in the NCAA in total steals (14), fifth in minutes per game, 15th in steals, 35th in scoring, 36th in free throw percentage and 40th in both total assists (23) and total points (85).
The weekly honor is the first of Nowell's career as he becomes the first Trojan to receive Sun Belt weekly accolades since
Josh Hagins achieved the recognition in December of 2015.
Nowell and the rest of the Trojans continue their three-game road trip with a pair of tough challenges, beginning Wednesday in Memphis for a 7 p.m. tip against the 16th-ranked Tigers. Little Rock then continues on to Raleigh, North Carolina, for a showdown with NC State Saturday at 12 p.m. CT.
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