Knight Earns Big 12 Freshman of the Week Accolade

March 5, 2012

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas guard Natalie Knight was named Phillips 66 Big 12 Freshman of the Week as selected by a media voting panel for games played Feb. 27-March 4. The selection is KU’s first weekly conference award this season.

Knight averaged 11.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 38 minutes per contest as Kansas split games last week with a loss to Oklahoma State and a win at Oklahoma. She had five points, five assists and two rebounds against the Cowgirls.

In KU’s regular season finale, Knight went off for a career-high 18 points at Oklahoma. She was 4-for-8 from the field, including 3-for-6 from behind the three-point arc, and finished 7-for-8 from the free throw line in the last two minutes to help seal the win. Knight also tied a personal best with seven rebounds and added three assists. The victory was the Jayhawks’ first in Norman since 1998. The win also helped KU earn the No. 6 seed in the Phillips Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship, the highest seed under head coach Bonnie Henrickson and the best since 2000.

Knight becomes the first Kansas player to earn Big 12 rookie honors since current teammate Carolyn Davis on Feb. 15, 2010. She is also the first Jayhawk since Davis on Feb. 21, 2011 to be recognized for any weekly conference accolade.