Lincoln – Nebraska sophomore Rachel Theriot captured the first Big Ten Women’s Basketball Player-of-the-Week award of her career, when the conference office announced the honor on Monday, Jan. 20.

Theriot, a 6-0 point guard from Middleburg Heights, Ohio, averaged 26.0 points and 6.5 assists, while shooting 66.7 percent from the floor for the Huskers. She played all 85 minutes of Nebraska’s two-game split last week against Minnesota and Purdue.

Theriot poured in a career-high 33 points in the Huskers’ 88-85 overtime win against Minnesota on Thursday, Jan. 16, while adding nine assists without a turnover. She helped Nebraska rally from a 14-point second-half deficit by scoring 21 points after halftime, including two free throws with 14.9 seconds left in overtime to seal the victory.

The second-year starter scored a team-high 19 points and added four assists against Purdue. She went 7-for-12 from the field against the Boilermakers, including 2-of-3 from three-point range. For the week, she hit 5-of-7 three-point attempts and 11-of-12 free throws, including two in a one-and-one situation to tie the game with Purdue at 75 with 27.9 seconds left.

Through five Big Ten Conference games, Theriot leads the Huskers with 18.6 points and 7.0 assists per game. She is shooting 55.6 percent in league play, including 50 percent (10-20) from long range. She also has hit 13-of-16 free throws.

She has increased her season averages to 13.6 points and 5.9 assists per game, after producing double figures in six consecutive games.

No. 21 Nebraska will take the mid-week off from competition before returning to Big Ten road action on Sunday, Jan. 26 at Northwestern. Tip-off between the Huskers and Wildcats at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill., is set for 4 p.m. Free live audio will be available on Huskers.com.