ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Illinois State freshman Johnny Kinziger has been named the MVC Freshman of the Week for the second time this season following a two-game stretch in which he averaged 15.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game for the Redbirds.
Kinziger first earned the award on January 29, and last week earned MVC Player of the Week accolades.
The freshman made 45 percent of his shots (9-of-20) from the field over the two games, made half of his eight three-point attempts, and was 9-of-10 at the charity stripe.
He started his week with a 21-point effort against Northern Iowa in which he was 7-of-10 from the field, 3-of-5 from long range, and 4-of-5 from the free throw line. He dished out four assists while grabbing two rebounds. In the week finale against Bradley he was the lone Redbird in double-figure points, scoring 10 points on 2-of-10 shooting from the field, 1-of-3 from three, and made all five of his free throw tries. He also pulled down five rebounds and gave out two assists in the three-point loss.
The De Pere, Wisconsin, native remains the only freshmen in the country this season to have a field goal percentage of .470 or better, a three-point percentage of .405 or better, and a free throw percentage of .860 or better, while scoring at least 235 points.
Through the first 29 games of the season he is averaging 8.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game with 25 steals and five blocked shots.
The Redbirds, 14-15 on the season, host Missouri State on Wednesday, February 28, in the final home game of the 2023-24 season. The regular season closes on Sunday, March 3, when the team travels to Valparaiso to take on the Beacons in a 1 p.m. tip-off.
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