Arkansas Tech University’s Bennie Lufile was named Great American Conference men’s basketball player of the week on Monday, Jan. 2.
Lufile earned the recognition after he scored 18 points and collected 22 rebounds in the Wonder Boys’ 91-88 overtime win over Missouri S&T on Saturday, Dec. 31.
A senior forward from Milton, Ontario, in Canada, Lufile established new Arkansas Tech and GAC records for rebounds in a single game.
The previous Arkansas Tech men’s basketball record for rebounds in a game was 19, which was established by David Bevis against the University of the Ozarks on Jan. 12, 1995. The previous GAC record for rebounds in a game was also 19, a figure that had been reached three times since the league began competition in 2011.
Lufile was 8-of-15 from the field against Missouri S&T, and his free throw with 12.8 seconds remaining in regulation allowed Tech to force overtime.
The Wonder Boys (6-2 overall, 2-2 GAC) will return to action when they host Southeastern Oklahoma State University for a 7:30 p.m. Great American Conference contest at Tucker Coliseum on Thursday, Jan. 5. A women’s game between Tech and SOSU will begin at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.
