Sunshine State Conference

SSC Athletes of the Week | November 19 - 25, 2018

Athletes of the Week are chosen from a pool of nominees for their performances during the week of November 19 - 25, 2018. Athletes are nominated by Sports Information Directors of member institutions.

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Men's Basketball Player of the Week

Antonis Pefanis / Florida Tech / Guard / Jr. / Athens, Greece
Pefanis earns Player of the Week honors after leading Florida Tech to a 3-0 record last week. In the Panthers' 80-67 win over the University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez on Tuesday, the junior recorded 12 points, seven rebounds, and two steals, while connecting on 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. In Friday's 84-59 victory against undefeated the University of Puerto Rico - Bayamon in the semifinals of the Florida Tech's Thanksgiving Tournament, Pefanis netted 25 points, five steals, four rebounds, and three assists, in addition to shooting 47% (8-of-17) from the field with four three-pointers. Pefanis then notched 25 points, four rebounds, and three assists, all while shooting 64% from the field (9-of-14) and 55% from three (5-of-9) to guide FIT to a 95-89 win over previously undefeated Concordia University - St. Paul in Saturday’s championship game. The Athenian was named tournament MVP after scoring a combined 62 points by shooting 50% from the field (20-40), 46% from the arc (12-26), and 83% from the line (10-12). In 111 minutes on the court, the junior recorded 15 rebounds, seven steals, six assists, and two blocked shots.   
Men's Basketball Defensive Player of the Week

Derek Murphy / Florida Tech / Forward / Jr. / Detroit, Michigan
Murphy averaged 20.3 points and 11.3 rebounds (7.3 defensive rebounds /gm) to go along with 3.0 steals per game during last week's Florida Tech Thanksgiving Tournament. In the Panthers' 80-67 win over the University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez on Tuesday, Murphy recorded a double-double with 16 points, 15 rebounds (10 defensive), three steals, and a block. In Friday's 84-59 victory over the previously undefeated University of Puerto Rico - Bayamon in the semifinals, the junior notched another double-double, this time with career-highs in points (28) and rebounds (17), including 10 defensive rebounds, in addition to tallying four assists and three steals. The Detroit native then recorded 17 points, two defensive rebounds, and three steals to lead Florida Tech to a 95-89 win over previously undefeated Concordia University - St. Paul in Saturday’s championship game.
 

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Women's Basketball Player of the Week

Nicole Tucker / Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University / F / So. / Marshall, Michigan
Tucker repeats as Player of the Week after scoring a career-high 38 points in ERAU’s win over West Liberty University. The Marshall, Michigan native opened the week with 10 points and six rebounds against the University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez during an 84-65 win. She followed the holiday with 38 points in the Eagles’ 104-89 victory against West Liberty. The performance stands as ERAU’s single-game scoring record and the top performance in the SSC this year. She scored 33 points in the second half including 20 points on 7-of-7 from the field, 2-of-2 from long range and 4-of-4 from the free throw line in the third quarter alone. For the week, Tucker tallied 48 points by shooting 74% from the field (17-23), 71% from the arc (5-7), and 90% from the line (9-10). In 60 minutes on the court, the sophomore recorded 11 rebounds, five steals, and five assists.  

Women's Basketball Defensive Player of the Week

Dori Nagy / University of Tampa / Forward /  So. / Pecs, Hungary
Nagy is honored with Defensive Player of the Week after being named MVP of 2018 Mt. McKinley State Bank North Star Invitational. The Hungarian registered a double-double in first of two road games in Alaska with 10 points and 11 rebounds against Gannon University, while also tallying a pair of assists and a steal in the victory. In the finale against the host University of Alaska - Fairbanks, the sophomore pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds, including 13 on the defensive end. Nagy scored nine points with three assists and a steal to conclude tournament and help the Spartans to a 5-0 record. With the play of Nagy, Tampa held Gannon and Alaska - Fairbanks below their season averages for points per game.
 

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Week-by-Week Winners