STARKVILLE — Mississippi State senior guard Victoria Vivians was named Tuesday the Southeastern Conference Player of the Week.
Vivians averaged 23 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and three steals in victories against Louisiana and Oklahoma State to help No. 6 MSU open the season with eight-straight wins for the second-straight year, and third time in the last four seasons.
The honor came on the same day MSU remained No. 3 in this week’s USA Today Coaches Poll. The Bulldogs have been ranked for 58-straight weeks in the poll.
Vivians shot 48.4 percent from the field and was 14-for-15 from the free-throw (93.3 percent) line last week.
Vivians had 16 points, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals in a 94-37 victory against Louisiana. She had 30 points, her fourth-career 30-point game, in a 79-76 victory against Oklahoma State on Sunday in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. She shot 55 percent from the field, was 7-for-7 from the free-throw line, and grabbed eight rebounds, had two assists, and made three steals.
The week also saw Vivians pass 1,900 points for her career. Her total of 1,913 points leads current SEC players and is third nationally. She is on pace to join former MSU greats LaToya Thomas and Tan White as the program’s only 2,000-point scorers.
Vivians is third in the SEC in scoring (19.9 points per game). She also is averaging 5.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and two steals per game.
Vivians’ selection gives MSU two of the last three player of the week honors. Teaira McCowan earned the accolade Nov. 21 following wins against Georgia State and Southern Miss.
MSU will play host to Little Rock at 2 p.m. Sunday. The game will be Morgan William Day. A life-size cutout of the Bulldog point guard will be displayed outside Bully’s Kidz Kourt in Mize Pavilion, and fans shorter than “Itty Bitty” will get free admission to the game.
n Ole Miss’ Taylor earns second SEC Freshman of the Week honor: At Birmingham, Alabama, For the second time this season, Ole Miss freshman Promise Taylor has been named the SEC Freshman of the Week.
The Issaquah, Washington, native leads the SEC in blocked shots per game (3.3) and is second in field goal percentage (67.7 percent). She ranks fourth nationally in blocks (26) and eighth in blocks per game and shooting percentage.
Taylor is coming off her first career double-double (15 points, 11 rebounds) against Arkansas State on Saturday.
Ole Miss will play host to South Alabama at 1 p.m. Saturday at The Pavilion at Ole Miss.
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