OXFORD, Ohio -- Behind his on-ball pressure defense from his lead guard spot, which helped the Shawnee State men's basketball program force 29 turnovers in its contests against Northwestern Ohio and No. 20 Cumberlands (Ky.) combined, SSU senior guard Tyreon Payne was named as the River States Conference's Defensive Player of the Week, as announced by River States Conference officials Monday afternoon.

Payne, the lead guard for Shawnee State on both ends of the floor, was the engine for Shawnee State defensively in both contests and was efficient on both ends of the floor in doing so.

In Shawnee State's first two contests, Payne has nabbed per-game averages of 14.5 points, six rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals while shooting 52.6 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range. Payne collected a double-double in his very first contest with SSU, posting 19 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three steals while turning the ball over just twice in a 83-63 win over Northwestern Ohio on Wednesday, Oct. 29.

Of Payne's six rebounds per game to start the season, five boards per contest have been on the defensive end of the floor. Payne has also tallied seven assists and has five steals over his first two games while only turning the ball over twice during that same stretch after not committing a single turnover against No. 20 Cumberlands.

For more on the Shawnee State men's basketball program, visit Shawnee State men's basketball on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/ssuhoops/ or on X at https://x.com/ShawneeStateMBB.