Youngblood Named MAC East Player of the Week
2/20/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
KENT, Ohio Senior wing Jay Youngblood was named the Mid-American Conference East Division Player of the Week, the conference office announced Monday (Feb. 20). Youngblood averaged 23.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in leading Kent State to a pair of overtime victories last week.
It is the second time this season Youngblood as earned player of the week honors, also earning the nod Jan. 23, after scoring 27 points in a win at Northern Illinois. Youngblood is joined this week by Western Michigans Joe Reitz, who is the MAC West Division Player of the Week.
Youngblood began the week with a 22-point effort in a double-overtime victory at Buffalo. He hit 8-of-13 from the field and knocked down a pair of three pointers in the game. He capped off the week with a 25-point effort in another overtime win, this time against Butler in a BracketBusters game. Youngblood led all scorers, hitting 8-of-10 attempts from the field and he was a perfect 3-for-3 from three-point range. He grabbed four rebounds in each contest.
The two 20-point efforts were Youngbloods seventh and eighth 20-point games of the season. He has the most 20-point games in a single season since Antonio Gates totaled 20, 20-point games during the 2002-03 season.
On the year, Youngblood leads the team in scoring, averaging 14.8 points per game to go along with 3.7 rebounds.
The Golden Flashes, currently 19-7 (12-2 MAC) are tied with Akron atop the MAC standings. Kent State is next in action when it plays at Bowling Green, Tuesday, Feb. 21, with the Flashes going after a 20th victory for the eighth straight season.
