STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Tarleton State guard
Dior Johnson earned his fifth WAC Newcomer of the Week Award and his third in consecutive weeks, the league office announced on Tuesday afternoon.
Johnson's fifth Newcomer of the Week Award puts him in a category of just two players since the award originated in 2023-24 to win it at least five times in a single season. He is also tied Tyon Grant-Foster in winning it in back-to-back-to-back weeks. No player has won it in four-straight weeks. Grant-Foster also has won it the most times in a single season, six, in 2023-24.
Johnson notched his second 40-point performance scoring 40 on the road at Southern Utah. The transfer guard torched the nets for 20 points in the first half as well as 20 in the second half. In the first 20 minutes, he missed just three of his 11 attempts from the floor. He shot four-for-four from beyond the arc and made 10 of his 12 free throws. Johnson also added five rebounds, a pair of assists and a steal.
In the team's second game of the week, Johnson scored 11 points at Utah Tech. The Kingston, NY, native nailed a pullup three-pointer in the final 20 seconds of the game to bring the Texans within two. All of his points came from the floor, his first game of the season in which he scored at least five points and did not register a single free throw attempt.
Last week, Johnson averaged 25.5 points per game, the most among any player in the WAC, He ranked 36th in the nation last week and was 21st with 51 total points. The guard was one of two players to post 40 or more in a single game. He made 18 field goals, tied for the most in the WAC and 17th in the NCAA.
The junior remains the nation's leading scorer at 24.1 points per game. In WAC play, he tops the league averaging 26.0 points per game. He is the only player in the NCAA this year to have at least 6 games of 30 or more, he has seven. Johnson is also the only player in the nation with a pair of 40+-point performances. He is one of 11 players to have multiple 40-point games in a single season since 2020.
The Texans continue the fourth week of WAC play with a pair of contests. The Purple and White will travel to Arlington for their second road contest of the season at UT Arlington on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at the College Park Center. Tarleton State will return home to take on Abilene Christian on Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. All fans in attendance will be treated to $1 hot dogs and $1 beer.
