Bears’ Miller wins Valley newcomer award

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For the fourth time this season, Missouri State junior guard Dequon Miller (Charleston, W.Va.) has been named Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week, the league announced Monday.

His first game-winning shot of the week came with 6.1 seconds left against Northern Iowa on Jan. 6 to help the Bears beat the Panthers for the first time since 2012. His second came with 3.4 seconds left to lift MSU past Loyola on Saturday to give the Bears their first-ever win at Gentile Arena. Miller tallied a team-high 16 points at Loyola with 4 assists and averaged 11.5 points per game on the week with a total of 5 assists and three 3-pointers.

Miller has three game-winning shots this season in the deciding moments, including road wins at Oklahoma State and Loyola.

The transfer from Motlow (Tenn.) College now joins an elite group of seven Valley players who have earned the award four times in the same season, including former Bear Anthony Downing won the honor four times in 2011-12.  The weekly award for first-year MVC players began during the 2003-04 season and since then only Doug McDermott of Creighton (2010-11) with seven awards, and Cleanthony Early of Wichita State (2012-13) and Marcellus Sommerville of Bradley (2003-04) with six apiece, have won the award more times than Miller.

Miller has started all 16 games for the Bears this season and is averaging 12.1 points and 2.9 rebounds per contest with 47 assists and a team-high 25 3-pointers.

The Bears host league leader Wichita State on Wednesday at 8 p.m., at JQH Arena. Tickets are available at MissouriStateBears.com/tickets or during regular office hours at the MSU Athletics Box Office at JQH Arena, (417) 836-7678. Special ticket rates are available as part of MSU faculty and staff appreciation night for Wednesday’s game.

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