Redhawks Powell, Nutt nab OVC awards

~ Powell, Nutt honored after Southeast extended its conference winning streak

The Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team is not only winning games, it's also racking up awards.

Southeast swept the Ohio Valley Conference's weekly honors Monday as junior forward Leon Powell was named both player and newcomer of the week, while point guard Lucas Nutt was named freshman of the week.

Powell, who missed all of last season with a knee injury after transferring from junior college, continued his impressive campaign during last week's wins over Tennessee-Martin and Eastern Illinois.

Powell poured in a career-high 36 points against Tennessee-Martin and added 17 points against Eastern Illinois as the Redhawks rallied from a 17-point second-half deficit. The 36 points are the most by an OVC player this season.

Powell combined to hit 18 of 20 field-goal attempts -- he was 7 of 7 against Eastern Illinois -- and also pulled down 13 rebounds while adding five blocks and two steals.

For the season, Powell is averaging 14.7 points and 7.3 rebounds while shooting 64.7 percent. He ranks fifth in the OVC in scoring, fourth in rebounding, second in field-goal percentage and third in blocked shots with 22. He is fifth nationally in field-goal percentage.

Nutt, who played in nine games last year before receiving a medical redshirt after suffering a broken foot that ended his season, also had big performances in the two victories last week.

Nutt, the coach's son, scored a career-high 22 points against Tennessee-Martin and had 15 points against Eastern Illinois. He added 15 assists against just five turnovers while recording five rebounds and two steals. He also hit 4 of 10 3-pointers.

Nutt is averaging 8.6 points, 3.9 assists and 2.5 rebounds. He ranks sixth in the OVC in assists, tied for third in assist-to-turnover ratio and seventh in free-throw percentage (79.7).

Southeast (5-11, 4-2) is tied for second place in the 10-team OVC.

The Redhawks have won four straight conference games for the first time since the 2004-05 squad posted seven consecutive league victories.

The Redhawks play the third of four straight home games Thursday when Morehead State (11-6, 4-2) visits for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff. The Eagles are among three squads tied for second place.