Paxton Ritchey-CSC Sports Information
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – For the second consecutive week, Chadron State guard Jalen Thomas has been named the RMAC Offensive Player of the Week, as announced by the league office on Monday.
The Amarillo, Texas native averaged 20 points per game and shot 60 percent from the field across two games as CSC battled with league frontrunners MSU Denver and Colorado School of Mines.
Thomas put together one of his finest games of the season on Thursday against MSU Denver, finishing with 22 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals. Thomas shot 10-for-18 from the field en route to his sixth 20-point game of the season.
The five steals are the most in a game by any CSC player this year and tied for the third-highest total by any RMAC player in a game this season. Outside the box score, Thomas also hit a miraculous half-court shot at the end of the game which initially gave the Eagles a comeback victory but was ruled to be just after the buzzer and was overturned by replay.
Thomas continued his efficient scoring on Saturday in a loss to league-leading Colorado School of Mines. The guard scored a team-high 18 points while shooting 5 of 7 from the floor and a perfect 8 of 8 from the free-throw line and also added four rebounds and five assists.
Thomas has been one of the most well-rounded players in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference this season. The guard ranks fourth in the league with a .504 field goal percentage, is third with 4.0 assists per game and ranks within the league’s top 20 in scoring, rebounding and steals per game.
This season, Thomas is averaging 13.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.3 steals per contest. Thomas has scored in double figures in each of CSC’s last five games entering this weekend’s contests.
The Eagle men’s basketball team is currently 12-12 overall and 8-8 in RMAC play, currently in possession of the eighth and final RMAC Tournament position with four games to play. Chadron State has its final road trip of the season this weekend, traveling to Western Colorado on Thursday and Westminster on Saturday.