Sunshine State Conference

SSC Athletes of the Week | February 18 - 24, 2019

Athletes of the Week are chosen from a pool of nominees for their performances during the week of February 18 - 24, 2019. Athletes are nominated by Sports Information Directors of member institutions.

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Men's Basketball Player of the Week

Mark Matthews / Nova Southeastern University / Jr. / F / Bonita Springs, Florida
Matthews earns SSC Player of the Week for the fifth time thanks to his part in No. 3 Nova Southeastern’s road conference win against No. 14 Lynn University. The junior from Bonita Springs, Florida opened the week with 23 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, and two steals in 37 minutes against Lynn. He followed with a 16 point, 12 rebound performance against the University of Tampa, which helped NSU clinch sole possession of its first SSC title. For the week, Matthews totaled 39 points (18-for-35), 22 rebounds, six assists, and three steals. He ranks among the Top-3 in the SSC in scoring, rebounding, and field goal percentage.


Men's Basketball Defensive Player of the Week

Marco Downer / University of Tampa / Fr. / C / Portmore, Jamaica
Downer secures Defensive Player of the Week honors after registering the first triple-double in the SSC this year. The freshman had 15 rebounds, 12 points, and 10 blocks in a loss against No. 3 Nova Southeastern University this past week. He’s the 15th player in NCAA D2 to record a triple-double this season. The Portmore, Jamaica product also tallied eight rebounds, four blocks and a steal in a win against Saint Leo University this week.
 

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Women's Basketball Player of the Week

Camille Giardina / Florida Southern College / Sr. / G / Sarasota, Florida
Giardina earns her second Player of the Week award this season after leading Florida Southern in conference wins against Eckerd College and Barry University. The senior from Sarasota, Florida scored 24 points in the NCAA D2 Showcase Game at Eckerd and followed with 21 at home against Barry. For the week, Giardina scored her 45 points by shooting 53% (17-32) from the field, 44% (4-9) from three, and 100% (7-7) from the line. The Senior also added five steals, three assists, and three rebounds to her stat sheet as FSC clinched the 2019 SSC regular season title.

Women's Basketball Defensive Player of the Week

Dori Nagy / University of Tampa / So. / F / Pecs, Hungary
Nagy led Tampa’s defense in conference victories over Saint Leo University and Nova Southeastern University this week. The Hungarian recorded double-doubles in both games, scoring 20 points in each game and pulling in 24 total rebounds. Nagy and the Spartans held both opponents below 35 percent from the field.


 

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Baseball Player of the Week

Chris Cabrera / Barry University / Jr. / DH / Miami, Florida
Cabrera receives Player of the Week for the first time in his career after leading Barry University to a road sweep of No. 13 Florida Southern College. The junior from Miami went 5-10 in the series raising his average to .368 on the season. The designated hitter had two multi-hit games while scoring two runs and driving in three. The junior slashed .500/.545/.700 for the series and the sweep helped Barry get to 8-3 on the season.



Baseball Pitcher of the Week

Myles Gayman / Barry University / Jr. / Greencastle, Pennsylvania
Gayman receives Pitcher of the Week honors while earning his first win of the season. The Greencastle, Pennsylvania native went seven scoreless frames leading the Buccaneers to an 8-0 win over No. 13 Florida Southern College. Gayman guided Barry to a home shutout of the Moccasins for the first time since 2016. The junior surrendered only three hits while striking out five over his seven innings.

 

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Softball Player of the Week

Mariana Pereira / Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University / Sr. / INF-OF / Marillia, Brazil
Pereira claims Player of the Week for the first time in her career after totaling eight hits in ten at-bats during Embry-Riddle’s home sweep of Eckerd College. Of the senior's eight hits, four went for extra bases. The Brazilian totaled 13 bases while drawing three walks, scoring five runs, and driving in seven runs across the three-game series as she slashed .800/.846/1.300.



Softball Pitcher of the Week

Melanie Murphy / Florida Tech / Sr. / Melbourne, Florida
Murphy led Florida Tech to three wins during the week earning her Pitcher of the Week honors for the second time in her career. The senior started the week by going seven innings surrendering only one unearned run while striking out five in a win (2-1) over Columbus State University. The highlight of the week for the Melbourne, Florida native was the perfect game against No. 3 University of North Georgia. During the first perfect game of her career, she faced the minimum 21 batters, allowing no runners on base, and finished the perfect performance off with her fifth strikeout of the game. It was only the second time all year the Nighthawks had been shutout. Over her 21 innings, she combined for a 1.67 era, six runs (five earned) on 12 hits, and struck out 13 batters.
 

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