Following a dominant home performance with a career-high 34 points against Portland State, Sacramento State senior forward Justin Strings has been tabbed the Big Sky Conference men’s basketball Player of the Week.
Strings paced the Hornets to a 1-0 record to begin Big Sky Conference play with an 80-75 victory over the Vikings. The Carson, Calif., native began the game missing his first two shots, but connected on his final 16 attempts to put together a career night with 34 points, eight rebounds, five assists and one block with zero turnovers in 38 minutes of action.
Strings’ 34 points surpassed his previous career high of 29 points set last year in a win at Montana. He also set new career bests in field goals made and assists. The 34 points for Strings were the fourth most in Sacramento State’s Division I era (1991-) and the most by a Hornet since 2008.
Trailing by as many as 16 points in the first half, Strings scored 19 of his 34 points in the second half on 9-of-9 shooting to lift the Hornets in front by outscoring Portland State 47-36 in the final period. He scored or assisted on 21 of the Hornets’ final 34 points.
Strings is averaging 17.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 0.7 blocks per game on the season.
Other Nominees: Dwayne Morgan, Southern Utah; Andre Spight, Northern Colorado; Bogdan Bliznyuk, Eastern Washington; Jerrick Harding, Weber State; Tyler Hall, Montana State; Ahmaad Rorie, Montana; Jared Stutzman, Idaho State
