LOUDONVILLE, NY – Fresh off a historic performance Sunday afternoon, Siena Basketball freshman Jalen Pickett is now receiving well-deserved national attention. The Rochester, New York standout has been named the CBS Sports/USBWA National Freshman of the Week.
 
CBS Sports has teamed up with the United States Basketball Writers Association and its Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Year Award. Every Tuesday throughout the college basketball season, CBS Sports announces a National Freshman of the Week winner in addition to their "Frosh Watch," which is a ranking of the top-10 most statistically impressive freshmen in men's Division I college basketball.
 
Earlier this week, Pickett was named the MAAC Rookie of the Week for a program record ninth time, breaking a tie with Siena legend Kenny Hasbrouck (2005-06) for the most in school history. Pickett's nine MAAC Rookie of the Week awards are the second highest total in the conference's 38-year history. Fairfield's Derek Needham (2009-10) and La Salle's Lionel Simmons (1986-87) share the conference record with 10 MAAC Rookie of the Week awards. Two weeks of awards remain for the 2018-19 season.
 
Pickett averaged 28.0 points, 8.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 4.0 steals, and 2.0 blocks while shooting an even 50% from the field in two games last week. Following a stat stuffing 10-point, five-rebound, four-assist, four-steal, and three-block performance Wednesday vs. Iona, Pickett posted arguably the greatest single-game freshman outburst in MAAC history Sunday vs. Quinnipiac.
 
Pickett exploded for the second highest single-game scoring total in Siena's 80-year history, tallying 46 points against the Bobcats. Pickett's outburst was just the sixth 40-plus point performance in program history, and trails only the 51-point effort by Doremus Bennerman in the 1994 NIT vs. Kansas State for the most points ever scored in a game by a Siena player.
 
Pickett also tied a season-high with 13 assists to complete the double-double and become just the second Division I player this century to tally 45 or more points and 10 or more assists in a game. LIU Brooklyn's Antawn Dobie also accomplished the feat on Feb. 22, 2003 vs. Saint Francis Brooklyn.
 
Pickett shot 14-26 from the floor, 4-8 from distance, and 14-17 from the charity stripe. He scored 32 of his points over the final 27:39 of the 55-minute triple overtime affair, leading Siena back from a 20-point deficit with just 12:55 remaining in regulation. Pickett added four rebounds and four steals, and hit the game-tying shot with four-tenths of a second left in the first overtime period. Almost as equally remarkable as his scoring performance was, Pickett only committed one turnover as opposed to his 13 assists in 53:32 running the point.
 
Pickett's 46-point performance was also the second highest in the Times Union Center facility's history, and tied for the second most ever in a MAAC Regular Season contest. Quinnipiac's Cameron Young, who was named MAAC Player of the Week, set the new benchmarks with his 55-point performance Sunday. The 101 combined points scored by Young and Pickett were the most by opposing players in a game since at least 1996-97, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
 
Pickett currently ranks in the top-50 nationally in assists (6.4 – 14^th), steals (2.1 – 37^th), and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.46 – 41^st). He stands second amongst all Division I freshmen in steals, third in assists, and seventh in assist-to-turnover ratio. Pickett leads the MAAC in both assists and assist-to-turnover ratio, and also ranks second in steals, sixth in scoring (15.5), and eighth in both blocks (0.7) and threes (55).
 
Pickett and the Saints continue a season long four-game homestand tonight vs. Saint Peter's at 7 p.m. at the Times Union Center.