MELBOURNE, Fla. – For the fifth time in his career, and first this season, Nova Southeastern men's basketball standout Mark Matthews has been recognized as the Sunshine State Conference Player of the Week, announced by the league office Monday afternoon.

Matthews and the fourth-ranked Sharks rung in the New Year with two notable SSC wins over both Eckerd and No. 14 Florida Southern. The redshirt senior showed backed up his All-America selection from a year ago, averaging 29.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in the two contests. Matthews finished just one rebound shy of a double-double in NSU's commanding 100-82 victory against Eckerd, finishing with a team-high 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field. The Bonita Springs, Fla. native then followed up the effort, proving to be the best player on the floor in Saturday's overtime road win in a matchup between two nationally-ranked programs. Matthews tallied a career-high 36 points in 43 minutes, registering 12 of those just midway through the first half to ignite the Sharks in a tough road environment. The victory marks NSU's second already this season over a nationally-ranked team.

Matthews currently leads the SSC in scoring (22.5 ppg).

Matthews and the Sharks will look to carry their momentum into Wednesday night when they hit the road to take on Lynn. For complete coverage of the action, visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com or follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_MBasketball.