March 10, 2013

ATHENS, Ohio - Ohio University senior guard D.J. Cooper has been named the MAC East Division Player of the Week, the league office announced Sunday.

The Chicago, Ill., native has now earned the honor five times this season and 12 times in his career.

This past week, Cooper averaged 20.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals while leading Ohio to a share of its first MAC regular season title in 19 years. The senior also knocked down eight 3-pointers and became Ohio’s all-time leader in 3-pointers made at Buffalo on Tuesday.

Against the Bulls, Cooper paced Ohio with a game-high 24 points, knocked down 5-of-10 3-point attempts, and added a team-high five assists and two steals.

With 1:34 remaining and Ohio trailing, 69-67, Cooper nailed the game-winning 3-pointer that put the Bobcats ahead for good.

With his third basket of the contest, he reached the 2,000 point milestone and became the only player in the history of NCAA Division I men’s basketball to post at least 2,000 points, 900 assists, 600 rebounds and 300 steals in a career.

On Saturday vs. Miami, Cooper tallied a team-high 17 points to go along with five rebounds, two assists and two steals. With 323 career thefts, he is now tied for 20th on the NCAA Division I all-time steals list.

Cooper and the Bobcats return to action Friday (March 15) with a berth in the MAC Tournament semifinals. Ohio will play at 9:00 p.m. at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland against a team to be determined. The contest will be televised live on SportsTime Ohio/ESPN3.

-- GO BOBCATS! --