Rogers, Bancroft Named Athletes of the Week

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Matt Rogers (Southwest Baptist) and Naomi Bancroft (Fort Hays State) have been named MIAA Basketball Student-Athletes of the Week for the week of Dec. 7-12 as selected by a conference SID panel. Rogers is honored for the second time this season, while Bancroft picks up her first award of the year.
 
MIAA MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Matt Rogers, C, Southwest Baptist
Rogers averaged 21.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 5.7 blocks in three wins last week for the No. 13 Bearcats. The senior from Doniphan, Mo., returned from a two-game absence due to injury on Monday against CBC and had 21 points and 10 boards in just 18 minutes of action. Rogers missed a triple-double by two rebounds in SBU's road win at Missouri Southern. He had 23 points, 10 blocks and eight rebounds against the Lions, one of three Bearcats with 20-plus points and seven-plus boards. Rogers had 21 points, seven boards, six blocks and three assists against Pittsburg State as the Bearcats extended their home winning streak to 36 games. He shot 50 percent from the floor (26-of-52) and 85 percent from the foul line in the three games.  

MIAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Naomi Bancroft, G, Fort Hays State
Bancroft led the Lady Tigers in scoring in both games this past week. The senior from Vona, Colo., scored eight of the nine points in a 9-0 run to close out the Northwest Missouri State game. With FHSU leading by one point with just under two minutes to play, Bancroft hit 3-point field goals on consecutive trips to extend the FHSU lead to seven. She added two more points on free-throws with 28 seconds remaining to push the lead to the final spread of 10 points. Against Missouri Western, Bancroft hit all three of her 3-point field goals within the final 3:30 of the first half, which came in a 14-3 run by the Lady Tigers to extend a six-point lead to 17 points at halftime. She recorded her second-highest total in rebounds this year against Missouri Western with seven. Bancroft has reached double figures in scoring in each game this year. The 22 points against Northwest Missouri State marked the third time this year she's scored at least 20 points in a game.