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dyck usbwa player of week 1.20.16
Torrence Dyck becomes the second Daemen player in as many years to earn USBWA Division II National Player of the Week honors

Men's Basketball

U.S. Basketball Writers Tab Dyck As Division II National Player Of The Week

AMHERST, N.Y. - Daemen College senior Torrence Dyck (Rochester, N.Y./San Jacinto College) has been named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Division II Men's Basketball Player of the Week for the week ending January 17.  The national honor comes a day after Dyck was tabbed as the East Coast Conference Player of the Week for the second time this season.

Dyck, a 6-foot-5 left-handed guard/forward with an uncanny ability to get to the basket, had a monster week for the Wildcats, averaging 30.7 points per game while leading Daemen to three conference wins, all of which came on the road.  For good measure, he added 5.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 54-percent from the field (36-for-67).  The three road wins have Daemen (9-6 overall, 5-3 ECC) right in the thick of things for an ECC Tournament berth (current league standings) with 12 league games remaining on the docket.

Dyck opened the week by leading Daemen to an improbable come-from-behind victory at thruway rival Roberts Wesleyan College last Tuesday (January 12).  Dyck scored 18 points in the final six minutes of the game, helping Daemen erase a 22-point deficit with a furious 34-10 rally late in the game.  Dyck's driving layup with four seconds remaining was the difference in a 98-96 instant classic that saw him match his career-high with 35 points in the ballgame.

That epic performance was followed by a 27-point, eight-rebound outing as Dyck led Daemen to a 91-82 win at Long Island University Post last Friday (January 15), handing the league-leading Pioneers, ranked No. 8 in last week's D2SIDA East Region media poll, their first ECC loss of the season.  After Daemen regained a lead late in the first half, the Pioneers eventually cut the deficit to just three points with 12:12 remaining, but Dyck's trifecta on the other end kick-started a 7-2 spurt and LIU Post never came within a single possession's margin again.

Dyck went on to score 30 points on 13-of-22 shooting, including 4-of-7 from three-point range, in an 83-67 win at N.Y. Institute of Technology on Sunday (January 17).  That performance gives Dyck five 30-point games in his two-year Daemen career, including three in the last four games.

The recent string of high-scoring games has Dyck averaging 23.5 points per game for the season, positioning him atop both the ECC and East Region scoring leaderboards.  He also ranks 15th in the country among all NCAA Division II players in points per game.

The announcement today marked the second-straight week that the USBWA has recognized a player from an ECC school as its Player of the Week.  Justin Reyes of Saint Thomas Aquinas College took home the honor last week.

Also, Dyck's selection marks the second-straight season that a Daemen player has earned this national recognition.  Last season, the now-graduated forward Gerald Beverly (Rochester, N.Y./Gates Chili) became Daemen's first-ever recipient of USBWA Division II National Player of the Week honors.

Dyck and the Wildcats return to action at home this week by hosting Molloy College (Friday, January 22) and Queens College (Sunday, January 24) at Lumsden Gymnasium.

 
USBWA Division II Men's Basketball Player of the Week - 2015-16 Previous Winners:
Nov. 24: Dylan Travis, Florida Southern College (Sunshine State Conference)
Dec. 1: Max Strus, Lewis University (Great Lakes Valley Conference)
Dec. 8: Devin Daly, Lake Superior State University (Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference)
Dec. 15: Akaemji Williams, Lake Superior State University (Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference)
Dec. 22: Jalen Steele, Lincoln Memorial University (South Atlantic Conference)
Dec. 29: no award
Jan. 5: Yunio Barrueta, Barry University (Sunshine State Conference)
Jan. 12: Justin Reyes, St. Thomas Aquinas College (East Coast Conference)
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Players Mentioned

Gerald Beverly

#55 Gerald Beverly

F
6' 7"
Senior
Torrence Dyck

#4 Torrence Dyck

G/F
6' 5"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Gerald Beverly

#55 Gerald Beverly

6' 7"
Senior
F
Torrence Dyck

#4 Torrence Dyck

6' 5"
Senior
G/F