(Posted January 23, 2006)

Huntingdon, PA - Juniata College senior basketball player Tommy McConnell (Bishop Guilfoyle/Hollidaysburg) has been selected to the MAC Honor Roll for his efforts this past week. Along with Players of the Week for both the Commonwealth and Freedom Conferences, the Middle Atlantic States Collegiate Athletic Conference names three individuals to the MASCAC Honor Roll. He is the fourth Juniata men's basketball player to claim honor roll recognition this season.

McConnell enjoyed two of the best all-around games of his career in helping the Eagles claim a pair of conference victories this past week. He scored a season-best 17 points, including several critical baskets over the final few minutes of regulation and both overtime periods as Juniata handed conference leader Messiah College its first conference loss of the year in double overtime. Along with the scoring he produced seven steals in the game, one shy of his career high, and added six assists and four rebounds. McConnell then bested his scoring total with a 21-point effort as the Eagles topped Albright on the road. The senior point guard grabbed a team-high four rebounds in the game, while adding three assists and three steals. He averaged 19 points on the week while shooting 50 percent from three-point range and 46 percent from the field.

In his final season, McConnell is enjoying a strong all-around year, and has helped Juniata rank as one of the most efficient offenses in the conference. Through 17 games he ranks sixth on the team in scoring with an average of 7.2 points per game, while he as dished out a team-high 64 assists and is also leading the team with 35 steals. He has already eclipsed his assist total from all of his junior year, and is just 19 assists shy of posting a new single-season best. His 64 assists have also moved him into fifth-place in school history in career assists with 285, and he is now the all-time Juniata leader in career steals with 163 thefts. McConnell's 47-percent field-goal percentage is the best of his career, and he is helping direct a Juniata offense that ranks third in the Commonwealth Conference in points per game.

McConnell's efforts have Juniata sitting with a 9-8 overall record through its first 17 games. The Eagles are also part of a three-way tie for second in the conference with a record of 4-2. Juniata gets back into action Wednesday night when the Eagles host Lebanon Valley for a conference game.

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