ST. LOUIS – Kennedy Taylor has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week for the fourth time this season following her performances against Evansville and Indiana State, the league announced today.
The sophomore averaged a double-double with 17.0 points and a team-leading 12.0 rebounds per game, while shooting .684 (13-19) from the field and .727 (8-11) from the charity stripe in just under 52 total minutes on the floor. Of her 24 total rebounds, 15 came on the offensive glass, in addition to collecting two assists, two steals and a block on the week.
In Thursday night’s win against Evansville, Taylor scored 11 points and pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds, nine of which were offensive boards. She also went 4-for-8 from the field and 3-for-4 at the free throw line, and tallied two steals against the Purple Aces.
On Saturday in MSU’s victory against Indiana State, Taylor went off for 23 points and 11 rebounds in just 23 minutes on the court. She was 9-for-11 from the field, 5-for-7 at the line, dished out two assists and committed no turnovers against the Sycamores. Taylor’s performance against ISU marked her 10th double-double of the season, her fourth 20-point outing on the year and her team-leading 13th game with double figure rebounds.
Taylor ranks 14th nationally and leads The Valley with 4.0 offensive rebounds per game to help lead a squad that ranks sixth in the country in the category at 16.7 per game.
The award marks Taylor’s fourth Valley newcomer honor this season, while it is Missouri State’s eighth newcomer award of the year and its ninth conference honor overall.
Missouri State will hit the road for the final weekend of the regular season, beginning with a trip to Drake on Thursday, March 2. Tipoff against the Bulldogs is set for 6 p.m. CT.
