ST. LOUIS - Bradley freshman guard Antoine Pittman (Rockford, IL/Auburn H.S.) is the Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week, according to an announcement from the league office Monday afternoon.
Pittman becomes the third Bradley freshman to win the award this year: guard Dwyane Lautier-Ogunleye earned the honor Nov. 16 and forward Luuk van Bree captured the award Feb. 8. Pittman averaged 14.0 points and 3.5 rebounds in Bradley's two games last week, helping the Braves to a split. After scoring eight points Wednesday at Southern Illinois, the 6-foot-1 guard scored a career-best 20 points in Saturday's 73-70 victory against Drake. He scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half against the Bulldogs, leading the Braves back from a 9-point halftime deficit. Still trailing by nine, 61-52, with 6:30 remaining in the game, Pittman scored 10 points during a 13-2 Bradley run in a span of just 3:30, including the final six points of the outburst that put Bradley ahead, 65-63, with 3:00 left in the game.
Pittman shot 52.6 percent (10-19) from the field, 50 percent (2-4) from 3-point range and 75 percent (6-8) from the free throw line in the two games last week. The third Bradley player to score at least 20 points in a game this season, Pittman also pushed his season scoring average to 8.1 points per game. Bradley's fifth-leading scorer, Pittman is the fourth-leading freshman scorer in The Valley heading into the final week of the regular season, trailing only his fellow Bradley freshman teammates Lautier-Ogunleye (9.3 ppg), van Bree (8.6) and guard Ronnie Suggs (8.2).
Bradley will close out the 2015-16 regular-season home schedule Tuesday by hosting Evansville in an 8 p.m. tip at Carver Arena. Tuesday's game will be the final home game for Bradley seniors Ka'Darryl Bell and Mike Shaw, who will be honored in a pregame ceremony. Bradley also will honor area servicemen and women from all branches of the military during Armed Forces Salute Night, which will include a halftime ceremony involving a performance from the Bradley Basketball Band.
