Freshman guard Joey Miller was named the Ohio Valley Conference freshman of the week for his performances against Eureka College and Central Arkansas.

Miller, the son of head coach Mike Miller, averaged 15 points in the two games.

He showed off his touch from the three-point line making 6-of-11 shots, the biggest of which, forced the second overtime against Central Arkansas.

Miller also averaged five assists and two rebounds in the two games. He is the first Eastern player to win the award since red-shirt forward James Hollowell won on Feb. 15, 2010.

Around the OVC

Tennessee-Martin beat Alabama-Birmingham 59-54. Tennessee-Martin held the lead almost the entire game, as its defense controlled the Blazers offense.

The Skyhawks were led by sophomore Mike Liabo who had a career-high 22 points. Eighteen of those 22 points came in the second half as he helped Tennessee-Martin maintain its lead by shooting 6-6 from the free throw line.

Tennessee-Martin freshman Myles Taylor also added his second career double-double as he scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

Alabama-Birmingham was led offensively by Cameron Moore and Jordan Swing. Both players scored 15 points in the loss.

The win improves the Skyhawks record to 2-5.

Morehead State lost a close game to Bucknell 54-50. The Bison went on a critical 14-to-7 run late in the game to close out their victory. Junior Byrson Johnson scored a game-high 20 points, as he knocked down six shots from beyond the three-point line.

Morehead was led by senior Ty Proffitt who scored a season-high 14 points. With the loss the Eagles fall to 3-4 and Bucknell improves to 5-2.

Tennessee Tech barely snuck past a NAIA team, Wilberforce, winning 84-83. Senior Kevin Murphy scored a career-high 31 points in the victory.

The Golden Eagles led by four with 13 seconds to play; however, Chris Olafioye hit a three-point shot at the buzzer to cut the deficit to one point.

The Bulldogs were led by senior Darius Foster who hit six shots from long range on his way to 31 points on the night.

The win improves Tennessee Tech’s record to 3-3.

Rob Mortell can be reached at 581-7944 or rdmortell@eiu.edu.