Rowe named Sun Belt Player of the Week

NEW ORLEANS – Middle Tennessee sophomore forward Ebony Rowe has been selected as the Jan. 2, 2012, Sun Belt Player of the Week the conference office announced Monday following a vote of the league’s head coaches.

Rowe’s honor, which included all games since Dec. 20, is her second of the season and sixth of her career, moving her into a tie with Chrissy Givens for third among all-time Blue Raiders for most in program history.

Middle Tennessee has now claimed 43 total accolades since joining the league in 2000-01, including 32 under head coach Rick Insell in the last six-plus years.

Rowe was the top MT performer around the holiday season, lifting the Blue Raiders to a 2-0 start in Sun Belt action and arguably the biggest win in school history with a victory over No. 6/6 Kentucky. She averaged a double-double of 16.0 points and 12.0 rebounds in the 3-0 run.

The Preseason Sun Belt co-Player of the Year posted a double-double in each game, raising her season total to nine and her career amount to 25 entering 2012.

She started the three-game stretch with a 15-point, 13-rebound performance against FIU in the league opener Dec. 21. She connected on 7-of-13 field goals and 1-of-2 free throws, while grabbing eight of her 13 boards on the defensive glass and adding a pair of steals as the Blue Raiders won their seventh-straight conference opener under Insell.

The Lexington, Ky., native then powered Middle Tennessee to an upset home win against her hometown team by scoring 21 points, including 7-of-10 field goals and 7-of-8 free throws, while hauling in 12 rebounds against the Wildcats.

She then closed the set with a 12-point and game-high tying 11-rebound effort against South Alabama to cap 2011 in a Sun Belt Network televised broadcast.

The Blue Raiders will return to action at 5:15 p.m. Thursday when they travel to Troy, Ala., to face the Troy Trojans. Middle Tennessee’s broadcast can be heard on the Blue Raider Network of WMOT (89.5 FM) and WGNS (1450 AM, 100.5 FM, 101.9 FM) with Dick Palmer handling play-by-play duties.

In addition, 2012 Sun Belt Conference Tournament booklets are now on sale at the Middle Tennessee athletic ticket office. Cost per booklet is $83 and includes a ticket to all eight sessions of the Sun Belt Championships, March 3-6, in Hot Springs, Ark. Fans can purchase booklets by calling 1-888-YES-MTSU or visiting goblueraiders.com.

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