Murray State University Athletics
Canaan Named OVC Player Of The Week For Third Time
1/9/2012 10:07:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Murray State's Isaiah Canaan was named the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week today in a vote by the league's sports information directors.
Canaan, from Biloxi, Miss., helped the Racers to two wins last week over Eastern Kentucky and Austin Peay as MSU stayed undefeated this season at 16-0 and tied the best start to a season in program history.
Canaan averaged 25.5 points, 4.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds/game last week while hitting 69 percent (9-of-13) from 3-point range, 57 percent (15-of-26) from the field and 85 percent (12-of-14) at the free throw line.
Against arch rival Austin Peay on Saturday, Canaan hit his first seven 3-point attempts and scored 27 of his 35 points in the first half; in fact Canaan scored the first 16 points of the game for the Racers who led by as many as 17 points in the opening half. He finished the game hitting 7-of-8 from 3-point range and scoring 35 points, the most by a player in the OVC in regulation this year (Canaan scored 36 points in a double overtime win over Southern Miss in November). He also had five assists, two rebounds and a steal in the contest.
Canaan opened the week by scoring 16 points, pulling down four rebounds and dishing out three assists in a victory over Eastern Kentucky.
Canaan ranks fourth nationally in 3-point percentage (51.0%) and 12th in 3-pointers made/game (3.1). It marks the third time this season he has been named OVC Player of the Week (Nov. 28, Dec. 5).
