Men's Basketball | 1/6/2009 12:39:28 PM

ROCHESTER, NY - Senior center #Mark Carson (Voorheesville, NY/Voorheesville)# (Voorheesville, NY/Voorheesville) of the RIT men's basketball team, was named the Rochester Area Colleges Athletics (RACA) Male Athlete of the Week on Monday for the week ending January 4, 2009.   It is his second weekly RACA honor this season and third of his career.

Carson, who leads all NCAA men's basketball players Division I, II and III) in rebounds per game (14.9), led RIT to a pair of Empire 8 win last week. He averaged 24.5 points and 15.0 rebounds per game in two wins and shot 66.6% from the floor.  He had 21 points and 17 rebounds in a 74-59 win over Utica on Friday night. He followed that up with a career-high 28 points and 13 rebounds in an 81-64 win over Elmira on Saturday.

Carson now has eight double-doubles in nine games this season.  Carson is shooting 64 percent from the field and averaging 21.9 points and 14.9 rebounds in nine games this season.  In four conference games this season, Carson is shooting 70 percent from the field, while averaging 24 points and 14.5 boards per game.

The Tigers (6-3, 4-0 Empire 8) return to the court on Tuesday against conference foe St. John Fishe with first place on the line.  The home contest begins at 6 p.m.  RIT also hosts Ithaca in a crucial Empire 8 contest on Sunday at 2 p.m.