HICKORY, NC - Tay Smith's performance in a win over No. 9 Lincoln Memorial has netted him his first career SAC Athlete of the Week award. 

The senior from Bowling Green, Ky., scored a Lenoir-Rhyne career high 25 points against the Railsplitters, shooting an incredibly efficient 9-11 from the field and 4-5 from three. Smith stuffed the stat sheet, also adding in four assists, four steals, and three boards. He has registered a steal in all but one game this year, including 11 in the past three contests. 

When combined with his time at Brescia (Ky.), Smith now has 1,296 career points. The senior guard leads the Bears with 24 three pointers on the year, shooting it at a 39.3% clip. A workhorse on both ends of the court, he also leads the team with 366 total minutes played and is second with 22 steals. 

The Bears are off to an 11-2 start, their best since the 1990-91 season. Following ranked wins over Coker and Lincoln Memorial, the Bears are ranked first in this week's D2CSC Southeast Regional Poll. Head Coach Brent Owen and his squad will most likely move up in the NABC Coaches Poll as well, which comes out tomorrow afternoon. 

Lenoir-Rhyne will look to add on to their nine-game winning streak on Wednesday when they travel to Mars Hill to take on the Lions. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.