St. John Fisher College has named #Matt Newman# of the men’s basketball team as the College’s Male Athlete of the Week for the week ending February 8, 2009.
Newman, a junior guard, averaged a team-leading 21.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in an 0-2 week that featured matchups with No. 9 Ithaca College and East Avenue-rival Nazareth College. For the week, he shot 55.6% (15-of-27) from the floor, and converted 11-of-12 shots from the free throw line.
In Tuesday’s showdown with nationally-ranked Ithaca College Newman paced the Cardinals with 22 points, tying a career-high, and was also active on the glass, tying for the lead with eight rebounds. After leading by as many as 12 in the first half, Fisher saw its lead slip away as the Bombers ended the period on a 15-3 scoring run that ted the game at 38. With the teams battling back and forth, Newman cut Ithaca’s lead to two points late in the game, but a quick spurt that included a traditional 3-point play gave the Bombers a nine-point win, 75-66.
Fisher closed out the week with a 79-70 loss to host Nazareth College. The Cardinals trailed by 12 six minutes into the second half, but got back into the game with 11 unanswered points. Newman, who scored 12 of his team-high 21 points in the second half, grabbed six rebounds and went 6-for-7 from the free throw line in the loss.
For the season, Newman ranks second on the team in average points (11.4/game) and rebounds (5.2/game), while leading Fisher in assists (66) and steals (26). He also leads the squad in field goal percentage (48.3%, 73-of-151).
The Cardinals (14-6 overall, 6-5 Empire 8) have lost four consecutive games for the first time since the 2001-02 season, and are deadlocked in a three-way tie with Nazareth and Utica for third place in the Empire 8 Conference standings. Fisher will take on Conference-leading Rochester Institute of Technology at 8 p.m. tomorrow.
