Feb. 4, 2013

DEKALB, Ill. -- Sophomore wing Abdel Nader (Skokie, Ill./Niles North) of the Northern Illinois men’s basketball team was named Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week the league office announced on Monday. Nader averaged 22.5 points and 11.0 rebounds as the Huskies split a pair of contests against Kent State and Toledo, this is Nader’s first career weekly conference honor.

Nader opened the week with his first career double-double, tying a career-high with 26 points while grabbing a career-best 11 rebounds as NIU defeated Kent State, 67-65, for its first win over the Golden Flashes since 2003. With the game tied at 65, Nader drained a pull-up, 18-foot jumper with 2.2 seconds left to snap an 11-game losing streak against Kent State. Nader, who also had two assists, two steals and a block in the contest, finished the game 4-of-5 from behind the 3-point arc and 8-of-11 from the charity stripe.

Against Toledo, Nader posted his second consecutive double-double with a team-high 19 points and 11 rebounds. He made three triples against the Rockets and shot 58.3 percent (7-of-12) from behind the arc for the week. The sophomore from Skokie, Ill., played a season-high 33 minutes and also recorded a pair of steals against Toledo.

For the season, Nader is averaging a team-best 14.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per contest. He would rank seventh in the league in scoring and 12th in rebounding, but has not appeared in enough game to qualify for the conference rankings. In league play, Nader ranks 13th at 14.3 points per game and tied for eighth at 6.4 rebounds per contest.  

Nader and the Huskies return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 6, when they host Bowling Green at the NIU Convocation Center. Game time against the Falcons is scheduled for 7 p.m.