INDIANAPOLIS – A pair of rookies burst on to the scene to score Great Midwest Athletic Conference Basketball Players of the Week honors as announced on Monday morning by the league.
 
A three-way tie for first emerged in the men’s hoops standings with Findlay, No. 21 ranked Walsh and Hillsdale, all with a 9-2 record.
 
With each team playing 11 games, the point rating system has Walsh (4.45) with the slight edge over both; Findlay (4.23) and Hillsdale (4.00) would be second and third, respectively, if the season was to end today.
 
For the duration of the season, No. 14 ranked Walsh has set the tone at the top of the women’s standings with a perfect 12-0 record. That didn’t change as the Cavaliers pushed their win streak to 14 straight and continue to lead the pack with a 4.75 point rating.
 
Men’s Basketball Player of the Week
Nathan Bruns
Findlay
Forward
Freshman
Maria Stein, OH (Marion Local HS)
 
The Oilers have not relinquished their status among the league’s elite despite graduating the previous two conference players of the year (Taren Sullivan, Alex White).
 
The conference tournament title is still on the bucket list for Findlay and head coach Charlie Ernst, who recorded his 200th career victory over the past week.
 
A heralded two-sport prep prospect (football), Bruns helped lead Findlay to impressive wins against Malone and nationally-ranked Walsh in a rematch of last year’s tournament championship final.
 
The 6-7 Bruns was firing on all cylinders with 17.5 points and 8 boards per game while shooting 60 percent from the field. He also handed out 2.5 assists and blocked 2 shots per contest and recorded 1.5 steals.
 
Bruns tallied a team-high 19 points against the Cavaliers to go with five rebounds and three steals. He missed just three of his nine shot attempts and sank six free throws.
 
Earlier in the week at Croy Gymnasium, Bruns tallied a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Seven of his 11 boards were of the offensive variety and he chipped in three assists and three blocks.
 
Bruns led the team in minutes played in both games as well as Findlay has now won 10 of its last 11 played. He is currently leading UF in both scoring (11.26 ppg) and rebounds (5.47) while shooting 64 percent on his attempts.
 
Women’s Basketball Player of the Week
Tahlia Walton
Kentucky Wesleyan
Forward
RS Freshman
Stanley, WI (Stanley-Boyd HS)
 
The Panthers have done everything in their power to break into the WBCA Top 25. With a 21-1 record and two more victories over the past week, Walton’s contributions could help push Kentucky Wesleyan into the new edition of the national rankings.
 
The Panthers are in the receiving votes category while scoring victories against Lake Erie and Ursuline.
 
The redshirt freshman was near perfect on her shots, connecting at an 82.3 percent clip while averaging 17 points per game. Walton also averaged 4 rebounds and 3 steals per game.
 
Walton missed just one of her 10 field goal attempts against Ursuline as she poured in a game-high 22 points off the bench. She played just 22 minutes as well and nailed all three of her tries from beyond the arc.
 
She was instant offense against vs. Lake Erie on the road with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting to go with four steals.
 
Walton is posting 11.1 points per game this year and shooting 61 percent from the field while serving in a valuable role for the Panthers.