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June 28, 2012

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Bellingham Slam guard Morris Anderson has been selected as the International Basketball League's Player of the Week for a pair of strong performances in back-to-back wins against the Yamhill Highflyers last weekend.

On Friday in McMinnville, Ore., Anderson put up 20 points, 17 coming in the second half, as the Slam pulled out a 133-121 road victory against the Highflyers.

On Saturday, Anderson helped the Slam complete the weekend sweep of Yamhill by posting a career-high 34 points on 14-of-21 shooting in a 141-101 win at Whatcom Pavilion in Bellingham. He also pulled down 6 boards and dished out six assists in the game, helping give the Slam their league-leading 14th victory of the season.

"It was a good win for us," said Anderson of Saturday's game. "I'm happy to see that we brought a lot of energy coming off a long trip from Yamhill on Friday. After I saw that I only had one assist at halftime, I had to get more players involved."

On the season, Anderson is averaging 20.5 points and 5.5 assists per game, which ranks eighth and fourth best in the league, respectively. In addition, he ranks first in the IBL in steals with an average of three per game.

The robust play this season from the two-time IBL All-Star has placed the Slam in a good position to earn the top-seed in the IBL Playoffs, which begin July 5 in Bellingham. A first-place finish would assure the Slam of a coveted first-round bye, something the Slam has earned in each of its first four seasons in the league.

Anderson is currently in his third season with the Slam after an outstanding collegiate career at Highline Community College and Western Washington University. As a freshman, he helped Highline with the NWAACC Championship in 2006. After transferring to WWU, he was named the Great Northwest Athletic Conference's Newcomer of the Year for the 2008-09 season and was also selected to the NCAA Division II all-West Region team as a senior. In all, Anderson averaged 13.7 points and 5.6 assists per game in two seasons at WWU.

Anderson is the third Bellingham player to earn Player of the Week honors in 2012. Center Blake Poole and guard Paul Hafford both received the award earlier this season.

The Slam look to clinch the number one seed Saturday, traveling to take on the Portland Chinooks. On Sunday, the Slam returns home to host its final regular season game, with a 5 p.m. tip-off at Whatcom Pavilion.