NEW ORLEANS – After helping the South Alabama men's basketball team split a pair of games against Sun Belt Conference leaders, Josh Ajayi was named the league's player of the week for the second time this season.
The honor is the third of his career and with the multiple selections this season, Ajayi becomes the first Jaguar to do so since the 2012-13 season when Augustine Rubit was named the SBC Player of the Week three times during the season.
For the week, Ajayi nearly averaged a double-double with 21.5 points and nine rebounds per game, while shooting 66.7 percent from the floor, knocking down 16 of his 24 shot attempts. The 6-foot-6 forward was also 11 for 14 at the foul line and added a pair of steals.
Ajayi began his week by recording his seventh double-double of the season with a 19-point, 10-rebound game against Georgia State on Thursday. Against the Panthers, Ajayi was 8 of 14 from the field and of his 10 boards, six came on the defensive glass.
On Saturday, Ajayi helped the Jags rally back from a 10-point, second-half deficit to defeat then-Sun Belt co-leader Georgia Southern. In the win, Ajayi scored a game-high 24-points, his sixth game of 20 or more points this season, and pulled down eight rebounds. He was 8 of 10 from the field in the game and knocked down all eight of his attempts at the charity stripe, while also drawing six Eagle fouls in the post. Of his 24 points, 14 came in the final period of play as he was 5 for 6 from the floor and 4 of 4 at the foul line.
Ajayi and the rest of the men's team will continue conference play this week with a pair of contests, beginning with a road trip to Arkansas State on Thursday night with tipoff versus the Red Wolves set for 7 p.m.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
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