We’ve partnered with Urban Edge Network to highlight the best players in HBCU Division I men’s and women’s basketball each week.
Don’t look now, but we’re heading full steam toward the end of the college basketball season.
February is just around the corner and it’s the last full month of the regular season. The conference standings are starting to crystallize, and every game is important this time of year.
So, it’s worth highlighting a couple of players whose key performances last week helped their teams score crucial wins.
Here are your HBCU Players of the Week:
Men’s Player of the Week: Brian Moore Jr., Norfolk State
Moore struggled in Norfolk State’s first conference loss on Jan. 13, scoring 11 points in a 78-74 defeat at the hands of Morgan State.
But he’s been an elite scorer all season, so it was no surprise to see him bounce back in a big way last week to help Norfolk State regain the top spot in the conference standings.
Norfolk State started the week with a 105-42 nonconference blowout win over Washington Adventist. Moore had 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting and added seven assists and eight rebounds.
(via AP Images)The big game for Norfolk State came Saturday against Howard, which came into the game 3-0 in MEAC play. The game was tied at halftime before Moore turned it on in the second half. He hit a layup to open the scoring, then hit a layup and a free throw to open up a five-point lead for the Spartans. Howard would never tie the game again and Norfolk State pulled away for a 92-75 victory.
Moore didn’t stop there, as he had 21 points in the second half. He ended up with 30 points on 11-of-18 shooting in the Spartans’ biggest game of the year so far.
It’s not surprising that Moore is thriving in big moments. He leads all MEAC players in our WAR rankings by a considerable margin. We mentioned his efficiency earlier this season, and he hasn’t slowed down. There are only 10 players in the country shooting 55% from the field, 40% on 3-pointers and 80% from the free-throw line.
Only three of these players average 10 or more points, and Moore leads this list with 19 points per game. He continues to impress with his high-volume efficiency and got the Spartans back atop the MEAC with his latest outburst.
Women’s Player of the Week: Kahia Warmsley, Grambling
Grambling needed to win both conference games this week to stay in the hunt in the SWAC and the Lady Tigers did just that, in large part due to Warmsley.
The Lady Tigers started the week with a 64-57 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff that Warmsley helped put away in the third quarter. Grambling led 33-32 before a 13-4 run that gave them a double-digit lead. Warmsley drove that run, hitting two 3s and dishing out an assist. For the game, Warmsley had 18 points and seven rebounds.
After a solid game to start the week, Warmsley leveled up in Grambling’s 69-62 win over Mississippi Valley State. She poured in 27 points to go along with eight rebounds and three steals.
(via AP Images)Warmsley took on a huge offensive responsibility. She shot 11 of 20 from the field; the rest of her team shot 11 of 41 combined. Lydia Freeman was the only other Lady Tiger who scored in double figures, and she had 12.
But Mississippi Valley State had no answer for Warmsley near the basket, and she single-handedly kept the offense going at times. The Lady Tigers shot just 36% from the field compared to 52% for the Devilettes but were able to win because of a tenacious effort on the offensive boards (27-4) and the unstoppable force that was Warmsley.
Warmsley had a career-high 27 points in a performance that came at a critical juncture for Grambling. The team came into the week 2-3 in conference and a loss or two would’ve made it extremely hard to finish the season near the top of the standings.
Now? At 4-3 in conference play, Grambling sits just 1.5 games out of third place in the SWAC. Warmsley’s play has them right in the thick of things as we turn the page to February.
HBCU Basketball Players of the Week: Jan. 20-26 Opta Analyst.
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