INDIANAPOLIS (USBWA) Pat Dembley of UT Permian Basin (Odessa, Texas) and Kwanza Murray of Lincoln University (Lincoln University, Pa.) were named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Division II National Players of the Week for the week ending November 24.
Dembley, a senior guard, claimed his first Division II National Player of the Week honor after he set UT Permian Basin's home scoring record with a 42-point performance in a 104-97 overtime victory over Western New Mexico in the Falcons' Lone Star Conference opener.
He was only one point shy of the program's all-time scoring mark of 43 points, which was set two years ago, and Dembley is now tied for the highest-scoring game by an individual in the Lone Star Conference this season. He shot 54 percent (13-for-24) from the field in the victory, hitting 5-of-10 three-pointers and 11-of-13 free throws, and he added 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal, and he scored 34 of his 42 points in regulation before scoring 8 of UTPB's 16 points in overtime.
Dembley, a native of Minneapolis, Minn., is averaging 24.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 2.3 steals per game, and he has scored at least 20 points in four of the first seven games of the 2019-20 season.
Murray was named the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Women's Basketball Player of the Week for her performance in the Lions' three victories last week, which included several school records. Murray averaged 33.0 points per game, while shooting 66.1 percent from the field, including 56.5 percent (13-of-23) from three-point range.
The senior guard opened the week with 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting with two rebounds, an assist and a block in a 75-66 win over West Chester.
Murray then poured in a school record 41 points on a school record eight three-pointers in an 85-69 win over Shippensburg. She made 15-of-20 field goals, including 8-of-10 from long range and was a perfect 3-for-3 at the free-throw line. Murray also set school records for field goals in a game and three-point percentage in a game (80 percent) in that win.
The Summerville, S.C., native closed out the week with 34 points in a 74-63 win over conference foe Johnson C. Smith, netting 17 of those points in the final six minutes 58 seconds of the game. Murray was 13-of-20 from the field and 3-of-6 from three-point range, while also recording five rebounds and six steals.
In addition to her torrid offensive numbers, Murray added three rebounds, two assists and three steals per game.
On the season, Murray is averaging 23.9 points per game and is shooting 54.8 percent from the field for Lincoln, which is 7-1 overall.
Each Tuesday, the USBWA is selecting men's and women's Division II National Players of the Week. This is the sixth season that the USBWA will recognize national players of the week from Division II.
The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. With some 900 members worldwide, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball. It has selected an All-America team since the 1956-57 season. For more information on the USBWA and its award programs, contact executive director Malcolm Moran at 814-574-1485.
2019-20 USBWA Division II National Players of the Week
Week ending Nov. 10: Andrew Sischo, Daemen College and Brianna Purcell, Saint Michael's College
· Week ending Nov. 17: Andrew Sischo, Daemen College and Kayla Marosites, Carson-Newman University
· Week ending Nov. 24: Pat Dembley, UT Permian Basin and Kwanza Murray, Lincoln University
· Week ending Dec. 1: Hasan Varence, Ohio Dominican University and Shannon Ryan, Saint Anselm College
· Week ending Dec. 8: Peyton Wejnert, Pace University and Taisha DeShazo, Catawba College
· Week ending Dec. 15: Jhonathan Dunn, Southern Nazarene University and Jamiyah Johnson, Davis & Elkins College
· Week ending Dec. 29: Kevin Buckingham, Southeastern Oklahoma State University and Peyton Steinman, Saint Anselm College
· Week ending Jan. 5: Jordan Floyd, King University and Mar'Shalia Lollie, University of Arkansas-Fort Smith
· Week ending Jan. 12: Sekou Sylla, The College of Saint Rose and Sylvia Hudson, Urbana University
· Week ending Jan. 19: Jhonathan Dunn, Southern Nazarene University and McKayla Roberts, Le Moyne College
· Week ending Jan. 26: Eamonn Joyce, Southern New Hampshire University and Tyra James, Urbana University
· Week ending Feb. 2: Winston Hill, Francis Marion University and Alexy Mollenhauer, Anderson University
· Week ending Feb. 9: Jordan Floyd, King University and Lilly Ritz, Wheeling University
· Week ending Feb. 16: Brian Halums, University of Arkansas-Fort Smith and Hailey Diestelkamp, Drury University
· Week ending Feb. 23: Brandon Myer, University of Minnesota Duluth and Shannon Ryan, Saint Anselm College
· Week ending March 1: Robbie Heath, West Chester University and Hailey Diestelkamp, Drury University