A-Sun MBB Players of the Week

This Week in A-Sun Men's Basketball

UNF's Eni Cuka averaged 24.0 PPG as the Ospreys pushed its win streak to three.
Courtesy UNFOspreys.com

MACON, Ga. - UNF completed its first season sweep of an Atlantic Sun school and extended its win streak to three led by the play of junior guard Eni Cuka, who earned his first Player of the Week award of the season, the conference office announced on Tuesday.

Cuka, a native of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. averaged 24 points in leading the Ospreys to a pair of conference wins last week. The sociology major tied his career high, pouring in 27 points against FGCU, and knocking down a career-high five 3-pointers in the win. He duplicated that total with five more 3-pointers against Stetson to give the Ospreys their first season sweep of an Atlantic Sun Conference opponent. Cuka finished the Stetson game with 21 points, scoring all of his points either behind the 3-point line or at the foul line. For the week, Cuka connected on 10-of-19 3-pointers while dishing out three assists and adding three steals to his totals.

Since he joined the UNF lineup in December, he has led the team in scoring at 13.4 points per game while hitting on close to 40 percent of his 3-point tries (39.4 percent, 41-for-104) and 80 percent from the charity stripe (79.4 percent, 50-for-63). After going winless in seven games without Cuka, the Ospreys have won eight games and increased their scoring by seven points per game. The eight wins represent two more than their total the last two seasons combined. At 6-12 in A-Sun play, UNF has picked up more conference wins than it totaled in its three-year history prior to this year.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.

Other Top Performers

James Florence, Mercer (Jr. - G - Marietta, Ga. - Business) -- Florence scored 64 points in two games en route to becoming just the third player in A-Sun history to record three 500-point seasons. Averaged 32 points while shooting 59.5 percent from the field, including 6-of-14 from beyond the arc and four rebounds and 3.5 steals on the weekend. Florence notched the second-highest scoring performance in the A-Sun this season with his 34 points against Lipscomb, while grabbing a game-high four steals. Followed up his record-setting outing with a game-high 30 points in leading the Bears to an upset of then league-leading Belmont on Sunday as Mercer snapped a 10-game losing streak at the hands of the Bruins, and assured themselves of their first winning season since the 2004-05 season and only their fifth in the last 15 years.

Adnan Hodzic, Lipscomb (So. - C - Sarajevo, Bosnia - Undeclared) -- Lipscomb extended its winning streak to six games behind the dominant force of Hodzic in the post. In the Atlantic Sun Game of the Week against Mercer, Hodzic posted 20 points and eight rebounds as Lipscomb cruised to an 88-67 victory. It was his eighth game of the year scoring 20 or more points. Sunday afternoon Hodzic posted his seventh double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds in the Bisons 61-44 win. For the week Hodzic averaged 17.5 points and nine rebounds. He shot 14-of-24 (58.3 percent) from the field and 7-of-8 (87.5 percent) from the free throw line.

Lorne Merthie, Campbell (Fr. - G - Sanford, Fla. - Sport Management) -- Scored 20-plus points for the second time in three games to lead the Camels to a 68-62 win against ETSU, their third-straight victory. He made 4-of-6 three-pointers and grabbed three steals. Ranks second among A-Sun freshmen in scoring and 3-pointers made per game, while leading all league frosh in steals and 3-point percentage. Led CU with 10 points in its 51-47 victory over USC Upstate. Merthie has helped the Camels double their A-Sun victories total (10-9) from a year ago (5-11) heading into Friday's regular season finale. Over the last three games, he is averaging 17.3 points per outing to raise his season average to 9.3 per game. He is the only A-Sun freshman to start each of his team's games this year.

Mike Smith, ETSU (Jr. - G - Vandalia, Mo. - Business) -- Continued his sterling play this week, posting a pair of double-doubles in games against USC Upstate (Feb. 19) and Campbell (Feb. 23). Smith grabbed 11 boards and scored 20 points against the Spartans, and followed up that performance with a 25-point, 13-rebound effort against the Camels. The 25 points marked a career best for Smith, and he has now posted double-doubles in six of his last eight games. Smith has posted eight double-doubles on the year. For the week, Smith averaged 22.5 points, 12.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game, while shooting 17-of-36 (47 percent) from the floor, 4-of-9 (44 percent) from 3-point range and 7-of-9 (79 percent) from the foul line.