BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – West Liberty University’s Bryce Butler has been honored as the Mountain East Conference’s Men’s Basketball Player of the Week.
The 6-5 sophomore guard from Latrobe, Pa. played a major role in helping Coach Ben Howlett’s Hilltoppers strengthen their hold on first place in the MEC last week with a pair of double-digit wins against top contenders.
Butler got his week off to a flying start on Wednesday as West Liberty snapped West Virginia State’s 10-game winning streak with a 96-84 victory. The high-flying sophomore scored 23 points and grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds – both game-highs – while stuffing the stat sheet even further with 7 assists and 5 steals.
On Saturday, Butler scorched the Wehrle Arena nets at a 9-for-10 clip on his way to a 22-point outing as WLU coasted to an impressive 96-82 road win at Charleston. For the week, Butler averaged 22.5 points and 8.0 rebounds a game while shooting a blistering 73 percent (19-of-26) from the floor.
The Hilltopper standout is averaging 17.5 points and 7.5 rebounds a night for the Black and Gold and also ranks among the Top 20 nationally in total field goals (12th, 164) and field goal percentage (17th, 164-268, .612).
Butler is the second West Liberty player to earn MEC Player of the Week honors this season. Fellow guard Pat Robinson III was the Jan. 24 Player of the Week. Robinson and Butler are each included on the Bevo Francis Award Top 100 Watch List, an award aimed at selecting the top small-college men’s basketball player in the country.
Butler, Robinson and their WLU teammates return to the ASRC on Wednesday for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff against Glenville State.