NIIC Tabs Spartan as Men’s Basketball Player of the Week

AURORA, Ill. February 21, 2005 - The Aurora University men’s basketball team received top conference honors as freshman forward Larry Welton (Chicago, Ill./Thornwood HS) was named the Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference men’s basketball Player of the Week by the conference’s sports information directors for the second consecutive week and fourth time this season.

On the week, in which AU made their first appearance in the D3hoops.com Top-25 in school history (at #24), Welton put up monster numbers in leading the Spartans to a 3-0 week and their second-consecutive NIIC regular season championship. Welton shot 60.1-percent from the field, averaged 22.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game on the week. In the NIIC-clinching 95-85 win over #25-ranked Benedictine, Welton tallied a game high 26 points on 12 of 19 shooting from the field (63.2 percent) and nine rebounds. Welton helped defeat Eureka twice on the week, winning 83-56 and 79-57.

The freshman leads the Spartans in scoring and rebounding, averaging 20.6 points and 7.7 rebounds per game while shooting 54.3 percent from the field on the year. Welton has scored in double figures in 24 of the 25 AU contests, while tallying 20 or more points 14 times. Welton and the Spartans are winners in seven straight games and 16 of the last 17.

Welton and the Spartan men are in action next on Thursday, February 24, when they host the semi-final round of the Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference tournament in Thornton Gymnasium at 7:30 p.m. AU must await the winner of the opening round match-up between Rockford College and Dominican University. The Spartans are the No. 1 seed in the tournament and will have home court advantage throughout. AU is currently 21-4, 11-1 in the NIIC.

-END-