(Aliso Viejo, CA) The Park University Gilbert men’s and women’s basketball teams dominated the GSAC Player of the Week (presented by Athletic Solutions) honors as they took home three of the four awards. Malik Lindsey won men’s offensive player of the week and Alli Cummings and Alynna Palacios won offensive and defensive player of the week honors respectively.
Malik Lindsey/Photo – Olivia English
Lindsey started the week by setting the school record for points in a game with 41 in the Bucs 68-67 win over Justice. He shot 11 of 18 from the field and 4-7 from three-point range. He topped it off by making 15 of 16 free throws. His point total was the most since Eric Patton posted 37 points against SAGU-AIC (now Nelson University) in the Bucs inaugural year on February 12, 2020.
Lindsey followed it up with a 25-point performance against Benedictine Mesa in the conference opener for both schools. The Milwaukee, Wisc., native made 7-15 shots from the floor and again made 4-7 from beyond the arc. He went 7-9 from the charity stripe. He also added six rebounds and three assists. This was his third highest point total this season. He also had a 31-point effort against Northwest (Wash.) on November 7.
Lindsey’s 66 points in two games is also the most points scored by a Buccaneer in back-to-back games, surpassing Patton’s 58 points in two games in the 2019-2020 season. This was the first offensive player of the week award for a Buccaneer player in the two-years they have been in the GSAC. Toate Sika won the defensive POW last season.
Alanna Palacios/Photo – Olivia English
On the ladies’ side, it is a familiar refrain as Alynna Palacios, who was the GSAC defensive player of the year last season, won her first defensive player of the week award this season. Palacios won the conference defensive player of the week award three times last season.
Palacios had 25 rebounds and 12 steals in two games, including eight thefts against Benedictine Mesa in the Bucs conference opener on Saturday. Those eight steals represent a season high for Palacios and was just three off of her career high.
The Honolulu, Hawaii, native had 12 rebounds alone in the first half against Stanton but played limited minutes in the second half as the Buccaneers won the game by 50 points. Her 14 rebounds were just two off of her career high of 16.
Alli Cummings/Photo – Olivia English
On the offensive side of the ball, Alli Cummings was a solid scoring force in both games, leading the team in scoring and knocking down three trifectas in both contests.
Cummings scored her 15 points in just 14 minutes against Stanton. Against the Redhawks in the conference opener, the Billings, Mont., native hit two key three pointers in the Bucs come from behind win as they outscored BENU 17-8 in the final quarter.
This is the first player of the week award for Cummings, a junior transfer from Point Loma in San Diego.
The Buccaneer men take the floor again this Wednesday, November 26 at 5 p.m. against Eastern Oregon at Arizona Athletic Grounds in Mesa, Ariz. The women are off until Thursday, December 4 when they will host Navajo Tech at 5:30 p.m., also at AAG.
Press Release courtesy of Park University Athletics – Preston English
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