Senior Phil Martin (Staten Island, N.Y./NE Oklahoma) took control of the scoring reins for UC Riverside and led his team to a pair of conference road wins, securing him Big West Men’s Basketball Player of the Week honors.

Martin averaged 25.0 points and 4.3 rebounds as the Highlanders went 2-1 for the week.  He shot 50.0 (26 of 52) percent from the floor, including connecting on 45.5 (5 of 11) percent from three-point territory.  Martin also was near perfect at the free throw line as he knocked down all but two of his 20 attempts.

The 6-4 guard led the Highlanders in scoring in all three games and surpassed the 20-point mark each time.  He was responsible for 42.6 percent of the team’s points last week.

In the 60-58 win at UC Davis on Thursday, Martin scored 24 points and accounted for the game-winning points as the Highlanders held the Aggies without a field goal for the final 3:50.

Martin returned against Pacific on Saturday and poured in a career-high tying 29 points in a 64-57 victory.  He collected four three-pointers and added five rebounds in the effort.

Martin opened the week with 22 points on 9 of 19 shooting as the Highlanders fell in their Big West opener to Cal State Northridge, 63-52.
 
Others nominated:  Will Taylor (Cal Poly); Josh Greene (Cal State Northridge); T.J. Robinson (Long Beach State); Michael Wilder (UC Irvine); James Nunnally (UC Santa Barbara)