It’s final exam week, and senior Jimmie Riggins and sophomore Lauren Boyle made the grade. The basketball grade, that is. Both were named to the Lehigh Valley Small College Basketball Team of the Month for the first month of the 2006-07 season.

Riggins has increased his scoring from 2.7 ppg in 2005-06 to 11.0 ppg this year.

Riggins, a 6-foot-4 forward on the men’s basketball team, was nominated by coach Dave Madeira based on his performances on the court so far this season. Riggins leads the team in rebounding, pulling down an average of 7.0 boards per game. He is also second on the team in scoring with 77 points in seven games (11.0 ppg), which can be partly attributed to his hot shooting from behind the arc. Riggins is shooting 70.0 percent (7-10) from three-point land.

“Jimmie is what Division III is all about,” said Madeira.

Even though Riggins rarely received accolades during his first three years at Muhlenberg, he stuck around and stepped up as a leader of the team this year.

“He has proven that he can play and really contribute to a winning effort,” Madeira said.

Last week (Dec. 4) the Centennial Conference named Boyle player of the week.

Boyle, meanwhile, has helped the women’s basketball team get off to a perfect 8-0 start. She is the Mules’ second leading scorer, averaging 14.1 points per game, and she also ranks second on the team in assists with 24 (3.0 apg). Earlier this season Boyle was named to the Scotty Wood all-tournament team after scoring 33 points in two games en route to the tournament championship.

“You know you have a great player like Lauren Boyle when you put the word ‘only’ in front of her class,” said Coach Ron Rohn. “We’re glad she’s only a sophomore, and we expect to get a lot more out of her.”

Most recently, the men’s and women’s basketball teams swept Washington College in a doubleheader at Memorial Hall. In the wins, Riggins scored six points and collected five rebounds, while Boyle posted 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting. She also dished out two assists in only 12 minutes of play.

The Team of the Month is comprised of one player from each of the seven small colleges in the Lehigh Valley (six for the men). Today's luncheon was the first of the season, and it was held at Starter’s Pub in Bethlehem.