DALLAS – Rice garnered a second Conference USA Player of the Week award this season, this time coming from sophomore Quincy Olivari. The guard paced the Owl offense with 24.5 points per game in the team’s sweep of Southern Miss. Louisiana Tech’s Kenneth Lofton, Jr., once again took home Freshman of the Week, his sixth on the year and third in as many weeks, as he averaged double figures in the Bulldogs' split series at North Texas. Awards are voted on by the league's men's basketball communications directors. All C-USA weekly awards are presented by Surf & Turf Golf.
 
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
QUINCY OLIVARI, RICE
SOPHOMORE, G, 6-3, 200, ATLANTA, GA
Olivari helped Rice (12-8, 6-6 C-USA West) earn the two-game sweep of Southern Miss (7-12, 3-9 C-USA West) by averaging 24.5 points, eight rebounds and two assists, while connecting on 47.1 percent from the floor and 47.6 percent from three-point range. In the series opener, Olivari recorded game-highs of 29 points and seven rebounds. He sunk 6-of-11 from beyond the arc, his sixth game of the year with at least five three-pointers. His performance helped Rice to an 88-62 victory, Rice’s largest C-USA victory since joining the league in 2005 and largest conference victory since 2004. The next day, the Atlanta native fell short of a double-double, dropping a team-high 20 points while tying his career-high with nine rebounds.

FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
KENNETH LOFTON, JR., LOUISIANA TECH
FRESHMAN, F, 6-7, 275, PORT ARTHUR, TX
Louisiana Tech (15-6, 8-4 C-USA West) netted the road split at defending C-USA champion North Texas (10-6, 6-2 C-USA West) with Lofton, Jr. giving the Bulldogs 11.5 points and 12.0 rebounds per contest. On Friday night, he notched his fifth double-double of the season with 14 points and a game-high 10 rebounds as his squad handed North Texas its first home loss of the season and just its second home loss in the last 20 games in the Super Pit. In the finale, Lofton, Jr. was one point shy of another double-double, registering nine points and a career-high 14 boards. He also tied his career-high with three steals. 

C-USA Players of the Week
N30        Charles Bassey, WKU
D7           Taevion Kinsey, Marshall
D14        Charles Bassey, WKU
D21        Jahmir Young, Charlotte | Charles Bassey, WKU
D28        Luke Frampton, WKU
J4            Jahmir Young, Charlotte | Travis Evee, Rice
J11          Charles Bassey, WKU
J18          Charles Bassey, WKU
J25          Tavin Lovan, UAB | Charles Bassey, WKU
F1           Jahmir Young, Charlotte
F8           Quincy Olivari, Rice
 
C-USA Freshmen of the Week
N30        Dayvion McKnight, WKU
D7           Kenneth Lofton, Jr., Louisiana Tech
D14        Jaron Pierre, Jr., Southern Miss
D21        Kenneth Lofton, Jr., Louisiana Tech
D28        Kenneth Lofton, Jr., Louisiana Tech
J4            Jaron Pierre, Jr., Southern Miss
J11          Rubin Jones, North Texas
J18          Jaron Pierre, Jr., Southern Miss
J25          Kenneth Lofton, Jr., Louisiana Tech
F1           Kenneth Lofton, Jr., Louisiana Tech
F8           Kenneth Lofton, Jr., Louisiana Tech