ST. LOUIS – After scoring double figures in each of his first three games as a Redbird, Illinois State junior forward DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell is the Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week, as announced by the league office Monday.
An Orlando, Florida, native and a transfer from Eastern Oklahoma State College, Akoon-Purcell averaged a team best 16.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals to lead Illinois State to a 2-0 record while making his first two career-starts last week in the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam held in St. Thomas. After beating 2014 NCAA qualifier Weber State in the opening round (Nov. 21) and Old Dominion in the semifinals (Nov. 23), Akoon-Purcell and the Redbirds face Seton Hall Monday at 8 p.m. CT for the Paradise Jam championship.
During a homecoming of sorts for Akoon-Purcell, whose father grew up in St. Thomas, the junior transfer shot 54.2 percent from the field (13-for-24), 37.5 percent from beyond the arc (3-for-8) and 75.0 percent at the free throw line (3-for-4) to lead Illinois State. Akoon-Purcell netted a game-high 20 points with seven rebounds in ISU's tournament-opening win over Weber State. He then scored 12 points with six rebounds in the Redbirds' victory over Old Dominion.
Versus Weber State, Akoon-Purcell netted three 3-pointers in the first eight minutes to help grab an early 10-point lead. An Akoon-Purcell layup with 37 seconds remaining in the half increased ISU's advantage to 14 points. He picked up where he left off in the second half, scoring a layup with 11:53 to play, establishing a game-high 17-point Redbird advantage. Later in the half, after Weber State pulled within five points, Akoon-Purcell stopped the Redbirds' three-and-a-half minute scoring drought by scoring a key layup at the 3:50 mark. He then netted a tip-in with 1:58 remaining to help secure ISU's victory.
Against Old Dominion, Akoon-Purcell again helped establish an early lead by forcing a steal and converting a fast-break layup as the Redbirds jumped ahead 15-4. At the end of the half, Akoon-Purcell's rebounding effort was rewarded by turning an offensive board into a tip-in basket. In the second half, ISU went on an 11-4 run to build a 46-28 lead, with six points from Akoon-Purcell during the opening stretch.
Akoon-Purcell now leads Illinois State in points and rebounds with 15.7 and 7.7 respectively averaged through ISU's first three games. He and the Redbirds play Seton Hall for the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam championship tonight at 8 p.m. CT in a game televised live on CBS Sports Network.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
