Moon Township, Pa. - Junior guard Bateko Francisco (Paris, France / Fort Scott J.C.) of the Robert Morris University men's basketball team became the third Colonial this season to take home Choice Hotels Northeast Conference Player of the Week accolades, as he was bestowed the honor by the league Monday.       

In a pair of home wins over Mount St. Mary's (2/21/08) and Wagner (2/23/08) that extended RMU's winning streak to a school record 11 games and vaulted the Colonials into sole possession of first place in the league standings, Francisco averaged 14.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.5 steals per game while shooting 50 percent (10-for-20) from the floor, including 45.5 percent (5-for-11) from beyond the arc.

In a 69-66 win over the Mount, Francisco paced Robert Morris by tying a career high with 16 points while adding three assists and four steals. He scored seven of RMU's last nine points in the game, including a key three-pointer with 2:36 remaining and a pair of free throws with 10.3 seconds on the clock.     

Francisco followed that performance two nights later as one of six Colonials to reach double figures scoring in a 74-52 win over the Seahawks, contributing 13 points and four rebounds. He hit a pair of three-pointers during a 16-2 run that turned a 13-point deficit into a 38-37 lead early in the second half.   

On the 2007-08 campaign, Francisco is averaging 8.7 points per game and ranks third on the club in steals (36) and fourth in assists (43). He enters this week's action ranked seventh in the NEC in three-point field goal percentage (.398) and in league play averages 9.8 points per game while shooting 43.3 percent from beyond the arc.