RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — Ouachita freshman Jaxon Conley was named the Great American Conference Defensive Player of the Week after a disruptive stretch of terminating possessions that turned into instant points for the No. 16 Tigers.
Ouachita played four games between Feb. 7 to Feb. 14 and Conley collected 11 steals during that week-long span. His clamps on defense were best showcased at the start of the second half in Saturday's game when Arkansas Tech tried to initiate its offense out the break. As the Wonder Boys swung the basketball toward the left wing with intentions to enter their half-court set, Conley jumped the passing lane to deflect the ball loose, secured the seal, then finished the fast break through contact at the rim.
Conley reinforced the tone and knocked it free on the next defensive possession by getting his hand on the ball before his opponent started a motion to shoot. After the Tigers gained possession, Conley drove through the lane for a tough finish off the glass with his left to force Tech to burn a timeout less than one minute into the second half. What looked like a couple of routine offensive possessions for Arkansas Tech flipped into fast break opportunities for Ouachita to mount a 14-0 scoring run and take full control inside Bill Vining Arena. Conley led the Tigers with a game-high 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the floor in Ouachita's 71-57 win over Arkansas Tech to improve 12-1 at home this season.
The Springdale, Arkansas native swiped seven steals across three games last week, which led to 11 total fast break points for the Tigers. Conley leads the GAC with 56 steals, which ranks second among Division II freshmen and sits inside the top 20 nationally. The freshman is just nine steals shy of breaking Ouachita's single-season record of 64, set by Travis Williams in 2004.
"Jaxon's energy is contagious," head coach Dennis Nutt said. "He plays extremely hard on the defensive end and he doesn't take plays off."
Coach Nutt emphasized that Conley's instincts to both anticipate and read passes are way ahead of any freshman he's seen during his coaching tenure. While causing turnovers headlines his noticeable impact, Conley also averages 9.8 points and ranks second on the team grabbing 5.8 rebounds per game. His 2.4 steals per game adds fuel to a Tigers squad that thrives in transition. Ouachita leads the league in steals (8.5) and fast-break points (15.6) per game.
The Tigers also rank inside the top five among Division II schools in scoring defense (61.3), defensive field goal percentage (39%) and defensive 3-point percentage (27%). Ouachita's profile is built on preliminary recon, defensive pressure and relentless effort. Ouachita sits atop the league standings with a 20-4 overall record and 15-2 in GAC play. It's the 15th season with at least 20 wins in program history and the first time in 50 years that Ouachita has claimed consecutive 20-win campaigns.
No. 16 Ouachita returns to action with a pivotal trip to Oklahoma, starting with a road rematch on Thursday against Southern Nazarene. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
