Lynx Center Fowles Named MN Professional Athlete of the Year

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL – Lynx Center Sylvia Fowles was named Minnesota Professional Athlete of the Year at last night’s Minnesota Sports Awards presented by Sports Minneapolis at Target Center. Fowles won the award for her outstanding WNBA season as league and Finals MVP, and for her work in the community.

Coming off being named the 2017 WNBA Most Valuable Player and 2017 Finals MVP, Fowles wrapped up her 10th WNBA season, third with Minnesota, by starting all 34 games, averaging a double-double for the fifth time in her career, collecting 18.9 ppg and a club-record 10.4 rpg while adding a career-best 1.5 apg, 1.29 spg and 1.97 bpg in 30.8 mpg. She shot a career-high 65.5%, the fourth-best FG percentage in league history. In the 2017 Finals, Fowles posted historic numbers including grabbing a WNBA Finals-record 20 rebounds in Game 5 against the Los Angeles Sparks to go along with 17 points. She averaged 17.8 ppg, 15.0 rpg and 2.4 bpg during the series against the Sparks on her way to her second Finals MVP honors.

Fowles’ work in the community added to her stellar 2017 campaign. After winning her first MVP honors in her 10-year career, the Miami, FL native donated a portion of the award bonus to local nonprofit Cycles for Change in support of giving middle and high school girls access to bicycles. Her partnership with Cycles for Change and the Minneapolis Foundation stems from her desire to give back, and provide opportunity and encouragement to underserved youth in the Minneapolis area. Fowles also participated in the Lynx Dream Team in April, which gave five local youth who were nominated by local non-profits the chance to sign an honorary contract with the team. Each child was paired with a Lynx starter as a mentor for a practice and was invited to events throughout the season.

About the Minnesota Sports Awards

The first-ever Minnesota Sports Awards is a gala event that celebrates the best of sports in Minnesota over the past year. From the athletes who’ve inspired us to the moments that captivated us, the awards honor the success stories that embody the spirit of sports in Minnesota. The evening’s awards show, dinner and entertainment will feature appearances by some of Minnesota’s best-known athletes and sports legends, all teaming up to honor the high school, collegiate and professional athletes and sports figures who’ve shaped our sports scene and contributed to our communities. Fans from across Minnesota have nominated award winners leading up to one memorable evening that shines a spotlight on the impact of sports in our state.

Gopher Murphy Repeats as Big Ten Player of the Week

For the second time in as many weeks, junior forward Jordan Murphy was selected as the top performer in the Big Ten, earning Player of the Week honors on Monday. Murphy has now captured the award three times in his career.

The San Antonio, Texas native continued his torrid start to the season, rattling off double-doubles in each of the Gophers’ three wins last week.

Murphy began the week with a dominant performance at Providence in the Gavitt Tipoff Games, scoring 23 points and 14 rebounds while adding three blocks and two assists. Two days later, Murphy chipped in 18 points and 11 rebounds in the 107-81 victory over Niagara. Sunday evening, Murphy took control of the game in the second half with 23 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals against Western Carolina. 17 of his points came in the second half against the Catamounts, while he posted a career performance at the free throw line, going 15-for-19 (78.9 percent).

He is the first Gopher to win Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks, and one of just four to ever garner the award multiple times in a season. Murphy joins Kris Humphries (2003-04), Joel Pryzbilla (1999-2000) and Quincy Lewis (1998-99) as the only Minnesota players to do so. Lewis was the only Gopher to earn the award three times in a season.

Additionally, he is the first Big Ten player to win back-to-back weekly honors since Ethan Happ on Jan. 23 and 30 last season.

Murphy, who is averaging Big Ten highs of 24.8 points and 12.8 rebounds per game, is currently third in the nation with three double doubles, 19^th in rebounds and 43^rd in total points. Murphy’s 4.67 offensive rebounds per game are 15^th in the country.

Murphy and the Gophers continue a busy seven-day stretch on Tuesday as they host Alabama A&M at 7:00 p.m. 

UMC's Cleary Named NSIC North Player of the Week

BURNSVILLE, Minn. – University of Minnesota Crookston guard Harrison Cleary (So., Oak Creek, Wis.) was selected as the NSIC North Player of the Week after a strong two games in wins over University of Sioux Falls and Oak Hills Christian College.

Cleary is the first NSIC Player of the Week selection for any Golden Eagle athletic team thus far during the 2017-18 athletic season. He was a two-time NSIC North Player of the Week selection during his freshman campaign.

Cleary averaged 25.0 points per game for Minnesota Crookston as they defeated the Cougars 79-74 and the Wolfpack 104-68 last week at Lysaker Gymnasium. He shot 56.3 percent from the field (18-of-32) and 100.0 percent from the charity stripe (13-of-13). In addition, Cleary averaged 7.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game. He had just three turnovers on the week to 15 assists. Cleary had 33 points in the comeback win over Sioux Falls, after his team was down 14 points at the break. He was 10-of-18 from the field and 12-of-12 from the free throw line in the win over the Cougars. Cleary is averaging 23.3 points, 4.8 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game through his first four games of his sophomore year.

Carson Parker of Upper Iowa University was named the NSIC South Player of the Week. Parker tallied 16.3 points per game in wins over Quincy, Truman State and MSU-Denver.

The Golden Eagles head to University of Jamestown Tues., Nov. 20 and will open NSIC play Sat., Nov. 25 at home against Bemidji State University. 

Karl-Anthony Towns Named NBA Western Conference POTW

Minneapolis/St. Paul – The NBA today named Timberwolves forward/center Karl-Anthony Towns as the Western Conference Player of the Week for games played from Monday, Nov. 13 through Sunday, Nov. 19. This is the third time in his career that Towns has won the weekly award (April 11, 2016; March 13, 2017), first this season.

Towns posted averages of 20.3 points, 12.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists in leading Minnesota to a 3-1 week, which included a three-game winning streak that featured wins at Utah, vs. San Antonio and at Dallas. Towns shot 55.4% (31-of-56) from the floor, including 9-of-16 from three-point range, during the four-game stretch.

Towns began his week by totaling 24 points and 13 rebounds in Minnesota’s 109-98 win over Utah on Nov. 13, an outing that included a career-best 4-of-6 mark from three-point range. Towns followed up that performance two nights later with a 26-point, 16-rebound game in the Wolves 98-86 win over San Antonio, a victory that snapped a 12-game winless streak against the Spurs. Towns then registered his third double-double in as many games with 15 points and 11 rebounds as Minnesota came back from a 14-point deficit to defeat the Dallas Mavericks 111-87. Towns capped his week with a 16-point, 9-rebound performance last night as the Wolves fell to the Detroit Pistons 100-97.

In 16 contests this season Towns is averaging 20.8 points and 11.4 rebounds while shooting 53.8% from the field, including 37.9% from deep He has recorded 12 double-doubles, eight of which are 20-point/10-rebound performances.  

MN Gophers Croft, Smith Honored by Big Ten

Minnesota quarterback Demry Croft and running back Rodney Smith were honored by the Big Ten today. Croft was named the conference’s Co-Offensive Player of the Week and Smith was tabbed Special Teams Player of the Week.

Croft, who shares the honor with Ohio State’s Mike Weber, led Minnesota to a 54-21 victory against Nebraska last Saturday. In the win, Croft rushed 10 times for 183 yards and three touchdowns. Croft, who averaged 18.3 yards per carry, set a Minnesota record for rushing yards by a quarterback in a game, breaking Marqueis Gray's record of 171 set against Miami (Ohio) in 2011.

Croft's 183 rushing yards were the most by a Gopher since running back David Cobb rumbled for 194 yards against Purdue in 2014. In addition, Croft's 183 yards are the most by a Big Ten quarterback this year and are the fifth-most rushing yards for any Big Ten player this season.

Croft joins Johnathan Lewis (Rutgers) and Trace McSorley (Penn State) as the only Big Ten quarterbacks to rush for three touchdowns in one game this year. Croft's 183 yards helped Minnesota rack up 409 rushing yards on the day, which is the eighth-most ever for the Gophers in a single game. Croft added 105 passing yards in the dominating win.

Smith returned three kicks for 135 yards against Nebraska, and he started the game with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. It was his second kickoff return for a touchdown and first since going 94 yards against Rutgers in 2016. Smith became the first Gopher to return the opening kick for a score since Tyrone Carter (86 yards) did so against Arkansas State in 1998.

Smith ended the Nebraska game with 279 all-purpose yards (135 kick return, 134 rushing and 10 receiving), which ties Tellis Redmon (279 yards vs NC State in 2000) for the seventh most in a single game in school history. The 279 all-purpose yards is also a career high for Smith (previous best was 257 vs Rutgers in 2016).

Croft and Smith are the second and third Gophers to be recognized this year, as Jacob Huff was named Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 18.

The last Gopher to be recognized as Offensive Player of the Week was Smith, who earned the honor on Oct. 24, 2016. The last Gopher to be named Special Teams Player of the Week was Emmit Carpenter who was feted on Nov. 7, 2016. 

NDSU’s Volson MVFC Offensive Lineman of the Week

ST. LOUIS - North Dakota State center Tanner Volson was named Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Lineman of the Week by the league office Monday, Nov. 13, for his performance in North Dakota State's 49-14 win over South Dakota.  It is his second award of the season.

Volson, a junior from Balfour, N.D., had a team-high seven knockdowns and did not allow a quarterback hurry or sack as NDSU clinched its seventh straight conference championship.  He graded out at 97 percent assignment, 83 percent technique, and helped the Bison roll up 647 yards of total offense in the victory.

NDSU passed for a season-high 307 yards and had its best rushing performance since Week 2 at Eastern Washington rushing for 340 yards and six touchdowns after being held to season-lows each of the last three contests.

No. 4-ranked North Dakota State (9-1, 6-1 MVFC) is scheduled to close out the regular season on the road against 21st-ranked Illinois State (6-4, 4-3 MVFC) at noon Saturday, Nov. 18.