Following two lights-out shooting performances and a career-high scoring output, senior Jordan Bowden has been named the SEC’s Player of the Week, the conference announced Monday.
The award marks Bowden’s second career SEC weekly honor, as he was named the SEC Freshman of the Week on Dec. 12, 2016.
In Tennessee’s two wins last week, Bowden shot 14-of-28 from the field (.500) while nailing an impressive 9-of-13 shots from 3-point range (.692).
Against Murray State last Tuesday, the Knoxville native poured in a career-high 26 points, draining six of his eight attempts from behind the 3-point arc. He scored 19 of those points in the second half, helping the Vols erase a nine-point halftime deficit on the way to an 82-63 victory over the Racers.
On Saturday against 20th-ranked Washington, Bowden scored 15 of his 18 points in the first half, knocking down three-of-four 3-point attempts while spearheading the Vols’ early 11-2 run, giving them a lead they held through the game’s final buzzer.
His 44 points last week leave him just five points shy of becoming the 51st member of UT’s 1,000-Point Club.
Bowden’s play through Tennessee’s first three games has him leading the SEC and ranking 10th nationally in 3-point percentage (9-14, .643). He has also been a key contributor toward Tennessee ranking first in the SEC and fifth in the country with a team 3-point shooting percentage of .462.
Tennessee players have now earned a dozen SEC Player of the Week awards during the Barnes era (2015-16 to present).
Big Orange fans can catch Bowden and the rest of the undefeated Vols in action Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET when UT hosts Alabama State at Thompson-Boling Arena.
