Kentucky Wesleyan College senior guard Desmond Stephens (Bloomington, Ind./South) is the Great Lakes Valley Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week. Stephens guided the 13th-ranked Panthers to a pair of road victories in league play last week.
In Kentucky Wesleyan’s 80-55 win at Rockhurst on Monday, Stephens led the offense with 11 points, eight assists, two steals and two rebounds. He was also 5-for-7 (.714) from the free throw line and helped the Panthers secure a 17-point lead at the break on the road in a key GLVC matchup.
He returned in the Panthers’ 67-62 loss at Northern Kentucky to post 24 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Stephens shot 41.2 percent from the field (7-17), 80 percent from the free throw line (8-10) and knocked down both three-point attempts.
Stephens capped the week by leading Kentucky Wesleyan to a comeback victory at Indianapolis on Saturday, 88-81. In the victory, Stephens scored a career-high with 25 points and also added six assists, three steals and three assists. He shot 66.7 percent from the field (6-9) and was a perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line.
On the week, Stephens averaged 20.0 points, 5.3 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. He shot 47.1 percent from the field (16-34), 50 percent from the three-point line (3-6) and 86.2 percent from the free throw line (25-29).
Stephens is averaging 17.8 points, 6.7 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game this season to lead the Panthers. He ranks first in the GLVC in steals and assists per game and is sixth in the conference in scoring.
The Panthers (19-3) are 8-2 in the GLVC this season and will travel to Lewis and Quincy this week.
Other top performers in the GLVC last week included Bellarmine’s Jeremy Kendle, Indianapolis’ Darius Adams, Lewis’ Chris McClellan, Missouri S&T’s Adam Knollmeyer, Quincy’s Justin Brock, Rockhurst’s Aaron Hill, Saint Joseph’s Andrew Helmer and Southern Indiana’s Mohamed Ntumba.