ECAC Honors Mills and Cusack
Nazareth junior forward
Maurice Mills and St. John Fisher junior Mary Kate Cusack have been selected as the Corvias ECAC Division III Upstate Co-Players of the Week for their efforts during the week of Dec. 29 - Jan. 4.
Mills averaged 22.3 points and 13.5 rebounds per game as the Golden Flyers (4-5 overall) split four non-conference games last week. He was especially impressive over the weekend as Nazareth scored a pair of come-from-behind wins over John Carroll and Hilbert to win the Hilbert Tournament.
In an 85-80 win over John Carroll last Saturday, Mills had game highs in points (28) and rebounds (13) as Nazareth rallied from a 14-point deficit. Then on Sunday, Nazareth knocked off previously unbeaten Hilbert, 70-63, as Mills scored 23 points and grabbed a school-record 23 as Nazareth rallied from an eight-point halftime deficit. The previous record of 21 rebounds was co-owned by Richard Sparks (1987) and Fran Zablocki (2001). For the week, Mills shot 61.8 percent from the field (34 for 55) and blocked 14 shots.
Mills has posted some impressive statistics for the Golden Flyers this season as he ranks first in the Empire 8 in scoring (21.7 ppg.), rebounding (10.6 rpg.) and blocks (2.7 per game) and second in field goal percentage (73-for-122, .598). He also ranks 18th nationally in scoring and 21st in rebounding.
In a 3-0 week for the Cardinals, Cusack averaged 19.3 points, 3.7 steals and 3.3 rebounds. The 5-foot-5 guard also led her team with four blocked shots (1.3 per game) and posted a 5-to-1, assist-to-turnover ratio.
Cusack started the week off by scoring a season-high 24 points in a 79-60 win over visiting Medaille College on Tuesday. Eighteen of her points came in the first half. She finished the game with five steals and tied her career high with five 3-pointers.
She tallied 19 points in Friday's 76-65 win at Utica College, and in Saturday's 67-53 victory at Elmira College, she totaled 15 points, five steals, four rebounds and three assists.