CARBONDALE -- Southern Illinois seniors Armon Fletcher, Kavion Pippen and Sean Lloyd Jr. earned Missouri Valley Conference honors, the league announced Tuesday. Fletcher earned second-team All-MVC; Pippen earned third-team All-MVC and a spot on the MVC All-Defensive team; and Lloyd earned a spot on the MVC All-Defensive team.
Fletcher was the league's third-leading scorer (16.6 ppg) and ninth-leading rebounder (6.1 rpg). He played his best in conference play, where his two 34-point games were the most by any MVC player this season. In MVC games, Fletcher was the league's second-leading scorer (17.8 ppg). Overall, he did it while shooting 52.6 percent from the floor and 42.5 percent from the 3-point line. He also collected 22 steals in MVC play, which ranked ninth in the league. Fletcher was also a second-team All-MVC selection last year and a first-team NABC All-District team member. Going into Arch Madness, he is the league's active leading scorer with 1,314 points.
Pippen was named All-MVC Third Team for the second year in a row and earned a spot on the MVC All-Defensive team for the first time. A Hamburg, Ark., native, Pippen led the league in blocked shots both overall and in league play. In 18 conference games, Pippen averaged 2.3 blocks per game. He scored 17+ points 10 times this season, including eight times in MVC play. In league play, he was among the MVC leaders in points (11th, 13.9 ppg), rebounds (12th, 5.6 rpg), and field goal percentage (5th, .548).
Lloyd earned a spot on the MVC All-Defensive Team for the second-straight year. He averaged 11.1 points and 4.3 rebounds while usually guarding the opposing team's best player. He hit 48 percent of his 3-pointers in MVC play, which ranked third in the league. In addition, he has routinely held down the opposing team's best guard.
Southern Illinois faces Northern Iowa in the MVC Tournament quarterfinals at 8:30 p.m. on Friday night in St. Louis. For more information, visit ArchMadness.com.
