LOGAN, Utah — No. 18 Utah State men's basketball graduate guard Darius Brown II has been named the America First Credit Union USU Student-Athlete of the Week for the period ending on Sunday, March 10. The award is voted on by a state-wide media panel.
With its sponsorship of the Student-Athlete of the Week, America First Credit Union donates funds directly to support student-athlete scholarships.
Brown led Utah State to its first-ever outright Mountain West regular season championship with a 90-70 road win at San José State and 87-85 home win against New Mexico.
The native of Pasadena, California, averaged 20.0 points, 9.0 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 0.5 blocks per game, while shooting 66.7 percent (12-of-18) from the field, 60.0 percent (9-of-15) from deep and 77.8 percent (7-of-9) at the free throw line during the week.
Against the Spartans, Brown logged 21 points, nine assists, five rebounds and a steal, while shooting 77.8 percent (7-of-9) from the field, all of which was from deep. His seven made 3s are tied for eighth on the USU single-game record list.
Against the Lobos, Brown recorded 19 points, nine assists, six rebounds, three steals and a block, while shooting 55.6 percent (5-of-9) from the field, 33.3 percent (2-of-6) from deep and 77.8 percent (7-of-9) at the free throw line. He knocked down the game-winning 3-pointer as the shot clock expired and just under five seconds on the game clock.
Utah State men's basketball (26-5, 14-4 MW) is the top-seed in the upcoming Mountain West Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada, and will play either eighth-seeded Wyoming (15-16, 8-10 MW) or ninth-seeded Fresno State (11-20, 4-14 MW) in a quarterfinal game on Thursday, March 14, at 1 p.m. (MT). The contest will be televised live on CBS Sports Network (Xfinity Ch. 269, DirecTV Ch. 221, Dish Ch. 158). If USU advances to the semifinals it will play at 7:30 p.m. (MT), on Friday, March 15, on CBS Sports Network, while the championship game will be on Saturday, March 16, at 4 p.m. (MT), on CBS.
Utah State men's basketball news and information is available on Facebook (facebook.com/usumensbasketball), on Twitter (@usubasketball) and on Instagram (@usubasketball). Fans can also get USU men's basketball highlights on YouTube (youtube.com/utahstateathletics). Aggie fans can follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter (@usuathletics), on Facebook (facebook.com/usuathletics) or on Instagram (@usuathletics).
Nominees from other sports for USU Student-Athlete of the Week included:
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL – Junior guard Cheyenne Stubbs (Bradenton, Florida) scored a team-high xx points in Utah State's 85-49 loss to sixth-seeded Boise State in the opening round of the 2024 Mountain West Championship. Stubbs also had four steals, three rebounds and one assist against the Broncos.
MEN'S TENNIS – Fifth-year senior Bodin Zarkovic (Belgrade, Serbia) won both of his matches in Utah State's 7-0 home win against LMU this past weekend. Against the Lioins, Zarkovic posted a straight-sets win at No. 1 singles (6-2, 6-4) and teamed with junior Sergi Micó Fenollar for a 6-2 win at the second doubles position.
WOMEN'S TENNIS – Senior Laura Fernanda Eugenio De Hilario (Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico) posted a 1-1 record in Utah State's 4-3 loss at Santa Clara last weekend. Against the Broncos, De Hilario posted a straight-sets win at No. 2 singles (6-0, 6-4) and teamed with freshman Savannah Johnson for a 7-5 loss at the first doubles position.
SOFTBALL – Senior pitcher Jessica Stewart (Salinas, California) helped Utah State to a 6-0 record last week, which included a 5-0 record at the Long Beach State-hosted Louisville Slugger Invitational as it defeated Fairfield (8-1), North Dakota (2-0), Yale (9-1), Toledo (3-2 (8)) and Long Beach State (4-2 (8)) in the Louisville Slugger Invitational. Stewart began the week by pitching 1.1 innings in relief in USU's 9-5 win at Utah Tech, throwing three strikeouts without allowing a hit. She then entered with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh against North Dakota to earn the final out of the game and secure the win. Against Toledo, Stewart earned the win as she started and pitched 6.0 innings without allowing a run. At Long Beach State, Stewart entered in the eighth inning and secured the win as she struck out a pair of batters and didn't let a run across. For the week, Stewart posted a 0.00 ERA in 8.2 innings across four appearances. She allowed just five hits and zero runs while walking just a single batter.
2023-24 America First Credit Union USU Student-Athlete of the Week Winners
Aug. 28 – Shelby Capllonch, Volleyball
Sept. 4 – Adna Mehmedovic, Volleyball
Sept. 11 – Jaiden Francois, Football
Sept. 18 – Diera Walton, Soccer
Sept. 25 – Shelby Capllonch, Volleyball
Oct. 2 – Bodin Zarkovic, Men's Tennis
Oct. 9 – Cooper Legas, Football
Oct. 16 – Tatum Stall, Volleyball
Oct. 23 – Bodin Zarkovic, Men's Tennis
Oct. 30 – Julio Arronte Sanchez, Golf
Nov. 6 – Whitney Lopez, Soccer
Nov. 13 – Tatum Stall, Volleyball
Nov. 20 – Cheyenne Stubbs, Women's Basketball
Nov. 27 – Levi Williams, Football
Dec. 4 – Great Osobor, Men's Basketball
Dec. 11 – Mason Falslev, Men's Basketball
Dec. 18 – Ian Martinez, Men's Basketball
Dec. 26 – Darius Brown II, Men's Basketball
Jan. 8 – Great Osobor, Men's Basketball
Jan. 16 – Great Osobor, Men's Basketball
Jan. 22 – Logan Hammer, Men's Track & Field
Jan. 29 – Landon Bott, Men's Track & Field
Feb. 5 – Logan Hammer, Men's Track & Field
Feb. 12 – Mason Falslev, Men's Basketball
Feb. 19 – Ariel Fifita, Softball
Feb. 26 – Brennan Benson, Men's Track & Field
March 4 – Darius Brown II, Men's Basketball
March 11 – Darius Brown II, Men's Basketball
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