CHICAGO (January 29, 2018) – Clayton Custer (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley Northwest/Iowa State) has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week it was announced this afternoon. He is the second straight Rambler to win the ward (Donte Ingram claimed the honor last week) and is earning the honor for the first time in his career.
 
Custer has inserted himself into the Larry Bird Trophy conversation as the player of the year in The Valley thanks to an outstanding season for Loyola, which is 18-4 overall and 8-2 in MVC play. In two wins last week that ran the Ramblers' winning streak to seven games, matching their longest of the season, the redshirt junior put up 17.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.0 steals, shooting a remarkable 75 percent (15-for-20) from the field, and 71.4 percent (5-for-7) from three-point territory.
 
Custer pitched in 14 points, two rebounds, eight assists and two steals, hitting 6-of-8 shots from the field, including 2-of-3 from long distance, to lift Loyola to an 80-57 victory at Drake in a battle of teams tied for first place at the time. He then went on to pour in a season-high 21 points, one off his career high, and added three boards, two assists and a pair of steals, while connecting on 9-of-12 shots from the floor and 3-of-4 from deep, in a 70-47 rout of UNI.
 
Since returning from an ankle injury on January 7, Custer has led Loyola to a 7-0 record and the Ramblers are 16-1 this season with him in the lineup. For the year, he is averaging 13.4 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 4.2 apg and 1.6 spg, while shooting 53.7 percent (80-for-149) from the field, 45.8 percent (27-for-59) from three, and 85.1 percent (40-for-47) from the foul line.
 
Loyola's current seven-game winning streak in league play is its longest since 1984-85. Since his return from injury, Custer is averaging 14.6 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 4.1 apg and 2.1 apg, while draining 56.2 percent (36-for-64) of his field goal attempts and 56 percent (14-for-25) from three-point land.
 
The Ramblers are back in action Wednesday night (Jan. 31) when they travel to Peoria, Illinois to battle Bradley in a pivotal MVC contest. The game will be televised live on NBC Sports Chicago.