by KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Matt Qualls (Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma) has been named the NAIA National Division I Men’s Basketball Player of the Week, the national office announced Tuesday, Feb. 24.
This honor, which captures statistics from Feb. 16 – Feb. 22, is the eighth and final honor of the 2014-15 season.
Despite going 1-2 this week on the hardwood, Qualls was a force for Bacone College, averaging 36.0 points and 11.7 rebounds in three outings.
The senior forward scored a career-high 47 points against LSU Shreveport (La.) on Feb. 20 in an 88-82 overtime loss. Qualls also grabbed 19 rebounds on the night.
The forward netted 30 points and 11 boards in a 95-88 win over Langston (Okla.), and 31 points against LSU Alexandria (La.).
He became just the third player in school history to record 1,000 career points since Bacone joined the NAIA.
He shot 45-of-79 from the floor (57 percent) in his squad’s three games, and leads all of Division I in scoring average (26.2 points per game).
Qualls has scored 655 points on the year, and has hit double-digits in every outing (25 games), with a season-low of 12 points coming on Jan. 20 against Langston.
