Georgia State sophomore D’Marcus Simonds led the Panthers to a pair of key home wins and earned Sun Belt Player-of-the-Week honors as announced by the conference office on Monday afternoon.
Simonds earned Georgia State’s first honor of the year and second of his career with wins over Little Rock and Arkansas State last week while averaging 26.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. He shot 46.8 percent from the floor, 6-of-12 from 3-point range and 16-of-22 from the free throw line.
He opened the week scoring 19 points while going 11-of-15 from the free throw line with five rebounds, six assists, two blocked shots and two steals in a 73-64 win over Little Rock.
The reigning Sun Belt Freshman of the Year then went for 33 points, just two shy of a career-high, going 12-of-20 from the floor, 4-of-7 from 3-point range and 5-of-7 from the charity stripe. It marked the third time this year scoring 30 or more points. He added nine rebounds, just missing his third double-double of the year. He also dished out two assists.
For the season, Simonds is averaging a Sun Belt best 21.8 points per game, 5.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game, shooting 45.1 percent from the floor.
Georgia State will return to action on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. at Appalachian State.
Georgia State’s next home game will be Jan. 20, in the annual ‘Barefoot for Bare Feet’ game to benefit Samaritan’s Feet. The Panthers will face in-state rival Georgia Southern at 2:15 p.m.
