West, Sutton named Applebee's Student-Athletes of the Month for February

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum University basketball players James West IV and Maddie Sutton have been named the Applebee's Student-Athletes of the Month for February. This is the third time Sutton has earned this honor this season, while West garners his inaugural Applebee's accolade.

West, a graduate student from Woodbridge, Virginia, averaged 21.6 points per game including 4.8 three-pointers made per contest as he led Tusculum to a perfect 5-0 record in February. He a sizzling 24-of-48 from three-point territory (50%) while averaging 4.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.4 steals per contest.

He returned to the lineup on Feb. 3 after missing seven games due to injury. In his return against Mars Hill, he scored 18 points, including four 3-pointers in a 78-75 win over the Lions. He earned a spot back in the starting-five and posted 24 markers on six triples in TU's 86-65 road win in the rematch with MHU

West was a catalyst in Tusculum's 90-74 upset win over eighth-ranked Lincoln Memorial (Feb. 17) as he went 8-of-14 from the field including four 3-pointers to go along with a career-high nine rebounds. He followed that performance with a career-high 26 points in an 81-67 win at Coker as he shot 8-of-14 from beyond the arc to tie for the seventh-most 3-pointers in TU history. He closed out the month with 18 markers in a regular-season finale win over Lenoir-Rhyne for the Pioneers' sixth win a row.

West sparked TU's strong finish to the regular-season to earn the Pioneers the No. 2 seed in the Pilot Flying J Basketball Championship.

On the season, he is averaging 17.2 points per game while shooting 44.7 percent from downtown and is averaging 3.8 three-point fields goals made per contest.

Sutton averaged 22.8 points and 15.0 rebounds in six games during February, helping the Pioneers to a 4-2 record and the number-two seed in the Pilot/Flying J South Atlantic Conference Championship tournament. Sutton shot 51.1 percent (47-for-92) from the field and 85.4 percent (41-for-48) from the foul line, while also averaging 3.8 assists and 1.0 steals per game.

The Walland, Tennessee native opened the month with 15 points and 18 rebounds in a 66-50 loss to Anderson on Feb. 3, but bounced back with what was then a career high of 32 points on 10-for-15 shooting along with 16 rebounds as Tusculum won 85-54 at Queens on Feb. 8. In a 111-59 win at Mars Hill on Feb. 10, Sutton played a season-low 30 minutes but finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds and four assists.

Sutton helped the Pioneers rally for a 71-62 home victory over Lincoln Memorial on Feb. 17, as she played all 40 minutes and tallied 15 points and 16 rebounds. Sutton then set a new career high with 33 points on 11-for-14 from the field and 11-for-12 from the foul line, along with 11 rebounds and five assists, as the Pioneers beat Coker 84-59 on Feb. 20. Sutton closed the month with game highs of 29 points and 16 rebounds in an 80-72 loss at UVA Wise on Feb. 24.

Sutton had double-doubles in all six games during February, helping to extend her streak of consecutive double-doubles to 12 and overall double-doubles to 18, which ended the month tied for the most in Division II this season. She ended the regular season ranked fifth in the conference in scoring at 16.3 points per game, and first in the conference and second in Division II in rebounding average at 15.3 per contest. Sutton is third in Division II in both offensive (4.9) and defensive (10.3) rebounds per game, while her 275 total rebounds are tops in the nation.

For the month, Sutton averaged 13.5 points and 17.3 rebounds per game while shooting 47.3 percent (26-for-55) from the field and 65.9 percent (27-for-41) at the foul line. She also averaged 2.7 assists per game while playing 233 of a possible 250 minutes, including every second against Anderson, Carson-Newman and Lenoir-Rhyne.

Sutton leads the SAC and ranks second in Division II in rebounding (15.4 per game), while leading Division II in total rebounds (185) and double-doubles (10). She is tied for the team lead in scoring at 13.1 points per game and averages 38.0 minutes per game.

The Tusculum Student-Athlete of the Month Award is sponsored by Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar of Greeneville.  The Applebee's Student-Athlete of the Month Award honors one male and one female student-athlete each month from an in-season sport during the 2020-21 academic year, recognizing their hard work, effort and performance.

2020-21 Applebee's Student-Athletes of the Month