Sophomore guard Malachi Smith earns the SoCon POTW honor for the second time this season after a blistering week of scoring.
SPARTANBURG, S.C. — After averaging 31.5 points for the week and posting a new career-high on Saturday, sophomore guard Malachi Smith has been named the Southern Conference Player of the Week presented by GEICO, the league office announced Monday afternoon.
Smith picks up the honor for the second time this season, and third of his career, after securing the award back on November 22. He becomes the first Moc to win the award more than once in a season since Casey Jones (3x, 2014-15) and the fourth Moc in program history with three or more selections (Willie White 5x, 1981-84 – Brandon Born 3x, 1993-95 – Casey Jones 3x, 2014-15).
The Belleville, Ill., native averaged 31.5 points on 66.7% (24-of-36) shooting and hauled in 6.5 rebounds per game during a pair of tough road games last week at Belmont and Murray State. Both opponents entered the week ranked No. 7 and No. 10, respectively, in the latest Collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll.
Smith dropped a career-high 36 points (14-for-17 FG) and grabbed six boards in Saturday’s tilt against the Racers. The 36 points were most by a Moc since Z. Mason (41) in 2013 and the most in a road game since John Oliver (42) in 1995. That performance followed a 27 point (10-for-19 FG), seven rebound and two steal effort against the Bruins on Wednesday.
The point guard has now scored 20-plus points in eight-straight road games which marks a DI era record for the program. He also has notched five-straight games on the road with 27+ points this season dating back to November 30’s contest at Tennessee Tech. For the season, Smith ranks 16th in NCAA Division I basketball and leads the Southern Conference with a 20.3 points-per-game average.
Chattanooga (9-3) returns to the Roundhouse on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. ET to face in-state foe MTSU in its final non-conference matchup of the season. Tickets can be purchased by clicking HERE or by visiting/calling (423-266-6627) the McKenzie Arena Box Office during operating hours of Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. ET. Special ‘Saturday SoCon Packs’ are still available for purchase through Christmas Day and start at just $42 for five games.
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