NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State senior forward Kendall Lewis has been named the opening Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week, announced by the conference office on Monday afternoon.
Lewis, who leads the NCAA in total rebounds through the first week of the season, averaged 16.7 points and 13.7 rebounds over three games during the week in which the Redbirds went 2-1. His 41 total rebounds are five more than the second-highest total in the country, and his rebounding average is fifth highest in the country.
With his third consecutive double-digit rebounding performance to open the season, he is tied for the third-longest season-opening double-figure rebounding streak in program history. His 22 free throws on the week are tied for the third-most in the country after the first week, and his 29 attempts are tied for the second-most in the country.
Lewis made half of his 28 shot attempts and went 22-of-29 from the charity stripe (75.9%) over the three games and added five steals, four blocked shots and two assists on the week. He opened the season with a 22-point, 14-rebound double-double against Western Illinois, making 7-of-13 shots from the field and 8-of-10 free throws. In a road contest at Eastern Illinois, he pulled down 14 rebounds for the second consecutive game and had two assists and a blocked shot.
In the finale of the week at Northwestern State he tied a career-high with 24 points and pulled down 13 rebounds while blocking two shots and grabbing three steals. The 12 free throw makes against Northwestern State are tied for the seventh-most in a game across NCAA Division I through Saturday, and the attempts rank fifth. He has two of the top five scoring games in the conference this season, and the three of the top four highest rebound totals
The Redbirds return to action on Thursday, November 17 when the 'Birds host Northwestern State for the second game of a same-season home-and-home series with the Demons.
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