Dec. 20, 2010

You get the feeling Siena's Ryan Rossiter and Iona's Mike Glover may be going head-to-head for accolades all season long. Rossiter and Glover were named MAAC co-Players of the Week today after sizzling performances that helped widen the statistical gap between them and the rest of the conference.

It marks the third weekly honor for each player in the six times the award has been bestowed this year. Both players have shared the honor twice.

Glover and Rossiter rank first and second in the league in scoring and rebounding. The Gaels' star paces the conference with 22.4 ppg, followed closely by Rossiter at 20.3 ppg. Siena's go-to man ranks second nationally with 13.4 rpg with Glover checking in second in the league at 10.2 rpg.

This past week Rossiter, who won the award for the sixth time in his stellar career, scored 27 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead Siena to a 72-69 win over Florida Atlantic. He made 11-15 field goals (73%) and 5-6 free throws (83%) in the win. Glover shot 9-11 from the floor, scored 25 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in Iona's six-point loss at No. 5 Syracuse.

Iona's dynamic junior forward has been nicknamed Optimus Prime, lending some to question whether Rossiter would be Megatron. The two are on a collision course, as the Gaels and Saints square off in Times Union Center when MAAC play resumes January 3.

For now, Rossiter's focus is on Georgia Tech which swarms into Times Union Center Wednesday night fresh off a 67-54 pasting of CAA contender Richmond in the Bahamas Saturday. The game marks a homecoming for former Siena coach Paul Hewitt, and the second game in a three-year deal that sends Siena back to Atlanta next year.