All-MVC Selections
ST. LOUIS – Illinois State senior guard DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell is an All-Missouri Valley Conference Second Team honoree, junior guard Paris Lee and sophomore forward MiKyle McIntosh are both MVC Honorable Mention selections, and Lee is also an MVC All-Defensive team choice, the league office announced Tuesday.
DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell: All-MVC Second Team
Akoon-Purcell leads Illinois State offensively and ranks seventh in the league, with 14.1 points per game. He has started 29 games and appeared in all 31, recording double figures in points in 29 of ISU's 31 games, and dating back to last season, 35 of the last 38 contests. Akoon-Purcell has recorded 20 or more points four times in 2015-16, leading Illinois State in scoring a team-best 13 times. The Orlando, Florida, native, ranks 16th in the MVC, with 4.6 rebounds per game. The 2015 MVC Newcomer of the Year, Akoon-Purcell was also named to the MVC All-Newcomer Team in 2015. In two years at ISU, he has amassed 795 career-points.
Paris Lee: MVC Honorable Mention Team, All-Defensive Team
Lee leads Illinois State in steals with 1.7 per game, which ranks second in the league. He also leads ISU in assists with 3.7 per game, which ranks fourth in the MVC. His 1.9 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks fifth in the conference. Lee's scoring average of 11.1 points per game ranks second on the team and 20th in the Missouri Valley Conference, while his 77.9 percent free throw percentage leads the team and ranks ninth in the league. He has started 29 of ISU's 31 games, and Lee is making his second-straight appearance on the MVC All-Defensive Team after also garnering the honor in 2015. He is the seventh Redbird in program history to earn two All-Defensive Team honors. The Maywood, Illinois, native is now tied for second place on the career-steals list, with 181.
MiKyle McIntosh: MVC Honorable Mention Team
McIntosh ranks third on the team in scoring (10.7 points per game) and second in rebounding (4.8), which ranks 15th in the MVC. His 1.9 offensive rebounds per contest ranks sixth in the conference. McIntosh has started 26 of ISU's 31 games, scoring in double figures in eight of the past 11 games, including 10 of the past 15, and 16 times total this season. He has scored 20 or more points four times this season. The Pickering, Ontario, native has recorded 16 blocks and 20 steals.
Illinois State – as the No. 3 seed – will tip off the 2016 Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Friday, March 4 at 8:30 p.m. versus No. 6-seeded Indiana State at Scottrade Center in St. Louis. The Redbirds enter Arch Madness having won six of their last eight games.
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