February 6, 2012

Murphy earns second OVC Player of the Week honor

Kevin Murphy has been named OVC Player of the Week in a unanimous vote by the league’s sports information directors, the conference office announced Monday.

Senior guard averaged 35.3 points, 7.0 rebounds per contest

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Kevin Murphy has been named OVC Player of the Week in a unanimous vote by the league's sports information directors, the conference office announced Monday.

In three wins over SIU Edwardsville, Austin Peay and Jacksonville State, Murphy averaged 35.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per contest. He shot 59 percent from the field (35-for-59), 55 percent from three-point range (12-for-22) and 86 percent at the free-throw line (24-for-28).

He became the first OVC player to score 50-plus points in a game since 1991-92 when he poured in 50 in a win over SIU Edwardsville, setting Tech's single-game record in the process and moving into second on TTU's all-time scoring list. The 50 points was the most scored by a Division I player this season.

He also moved into second on Tech's all-time scoring list in the game, passing Stephen Kite. Murphy now has 1,860 career points.

On Thursday, he dropped in 33 points, his third-highest career total, and grabbed seven rebounds in a win over Austin Peay. He also went 10-for-12 at the free-throw line and drained five three-pointers.

He capped off the week with 23 points, seven rebounds and three assists in a win at Jacksonville State.

Thanks to his strong week, Murphy moved into No. 4 in NCAA Division I in scoring, averaging 21.8 points per contest. He and junior guard Jud Dillard rank as the No. 2 scoring duo in the nation, combining to score 40.1 points per game.

Murphy's top three career scoring games have all come over the last two weeks.

He is currently leading the voting for the ESPN/Capital One Impact Player of the Week award.

The award is Murphy's second weekly honor of the season from the OVC. His first award came on Dec. 19 when he scored 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds in a win over Evansville.

Murphy and the Golden Eagles return to action on Thursday, hosting Eastern Illinois at 7 p.m.