BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — University of Tennessee forward Rennia Davis has been named the SEC Freshman of the Week for the second time this season, the league office announced on Tuesday.
The 6-foot-2 first-year performer enjoyed the finest week of her standout rookie campaign, averaging 22.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists as the #11/11 Lady Vols went 2-0 last week and moved into a tie for second place in the SEC standings.
Davis stepped up her game, shooting .708 from the field (17-of-24), including .667 (.4-of-6) on three-pointers, as UT won at Arkansas (90-85) and rolled by #18/18 Georgia (62-46) in a key league showdown on Sunday to improve to 21-4 overall and 9-3 in SEC action.
With Arkansas focusing its defensive efforts on seniors Mercedes Russell and Jaime Nared, Tennessee needed other players to emerge and fill the scoring void. Davis answered the call in a big way, knocking down 13 of 18 attempts from the field, including three of four shots from long range, to finish with a career-high 33 points.
That point total was the third-highest ever recorded by a Lady Vol freshman, standing behind only the 35 by Tamika Catchings in 1998 and the 34 of Candace Parker in 2006.
To make her effort even more impressive, Davis pulled down a career-best 14 rebounds to tally her fifth double-double of the season, a mark that ties for eighth-best all-time by a UT rookie. She added four assists as well.
On Sunday against Georgia, her effort was no less important, as she efficiently hit four of six shots from the field en route to 11 points, eight rebounds and three assists in UT’s 14th straight win at home over the Lady Bulldogs.
For the season, Davis is averaging 11.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per contest, starting all 25 games for a Big Orange squad that has returned to the proficiency it displayed during the first three years of the Holly Warlick era. She previously was named SEC Freshman of the Week on Nov. 28, and this makes four rookie honors for Tennessee this season. Evina Westbrook and Anastasia Hayes were honored on Dec. 26 and Feb. 6, respectively.
