Iowa St. Cyclones forward Melvin Ejim had the most impressive statistical day of any college basketball player this season, racking up 48 points on 20 of 24 shooting and grabbing 18 rebounds. His scoring total was a personal-best and put the senior forward in the history books:
NCAA Saturday Stats: Melvin Ejim gets 48 and 18 on 24 shots
Iowa State’s big man set a Big 12 record for points, and tied the season-high for a Division I player.
USA TODAY Sports
Melvin Ejim. Wow. 48/18. Big 12 record. 2nd most in ISU history. Ties Tyler Haws (BYU), Aaric Murray (Tex Southern) most points this year.
— Andy Katz (@ESPNAndyKatz) February 8, 2014 Ejim’s day was impressive even by NBA standards:
Melvin Ejim of @CycloneATH is 1st player in D-I or NBA with 48 Pts & 18 Reb since @Shaq in 2003
— Jeremy Lundblad (@JLundbladESPN) February 8, 2014 The Diesel logged 39 minutes against Boston in March of 2003, scoring 48 points and grabbing 20 rebounds. Ejim played 35 of the 40 minutes in Saturday’s game, matching Shaq’s total and falling just short of his rebound number.
Though he hit both of his threes, much of Ejim’s work came beneath the basket. He was 15-15 on dunks and layups on the day. Here is his shot chart from CBS Sports:
Ejim also led the Cyclones in turnovers, with four:
"I think the 4 turnovers are unacceptable." -Hoiberg on Ejim
— Matt Van Winkle (@mattvanwinkle) February 8, 2014 Marshall Henderson rains down on Missouri
The oft-criticized Henderson was feeling it from downtown, hitting eight three-pointers on his way to 29 points in the Ole Miss Rebels' win over the Missouri Tigers. In true Henderson form, each three came with a signature Marshall Henderson gesture, firing up a sympathetic home crowd. The senior did manage a pair of two-point baskets and one free-throw, which is disappointing to the rest of the Heat-Check All-Stars.
Jordan Bachynski mauls Oregon in the paint
The Oregon Ducks are soft in the middle, which the Arizona St. Sun Devils exploited with 7'2 center Bachynski. The senior scored 26 on seven of eight shooting, and got to the free-throw line at will. He was 10 of 12 from the charity stripe, nearly matching the Ducks' team total for makes. On top of his offensive production, Bachynski grabbed nine rebounds and rejected nine Oregon shots, adding to his nation-leading block total.
Freshman Marcus Foster drops 34 on Texas
The Kansas St. Wildcats ended the Texas Longhorns' seven-game winning streak on Saturday, getting a career-high 34 points from freshman Marcus Foster. The Wichita Falls, TX native topped his previous high of 25, set against Oral Roberts in the Wildcats' second game of the season. His effort was the third time in four games that the guard has gone over 20 points.
Foster made all eight of his two-point attempts, finishing 13-16 from the field and five of eight from behind the arc. He also missed one of his four free-throw attempts. Smdh.
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