Tonie Morgan, National Assists Leader, Crowned National Player of the Week, SEC Player of the Week
LEXINGTON, Ky. – University of Kentucky women’s basketball senior point guard Tonie Morgan has been named a U.S. Basketball Writers Association Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Week and co- Southeastern Conference Player of the Week, it was released by each organization Tuesday.
It is her first weekly honor from either organization in her college career.
Morgan had 24 points, 12 assists, 0 turnovers and the game-winning, 3-point buzzer beater to hand #5/5 LSU its first loss of the season in arguably one of the toughest arenas to play in in college women’s basketball in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on New Year’s Day, which also marked Kentucky’s highest-ranked road win in 52 years of program history.
Then, despite the team’s travel issues returning from Baton Rouge a day late and missing an entire day of practice Friday, she followed that up with 18 points, 14 assists and just 3 turnovers in a home win against Missouri on Sunday.
Her 24 points and 12 assists at LSU contributed to 66.2 percent of the team’s scoring at LSU and her 18 points and 14 assists against Missouri contributed to 72.9 percent of the team’s scoring against Missouri.
Her 24 points at LSU came on 70.0 percent shooting from the field (7-of-10), including 100.0 percent shooting from the arc (3-of-3). She turned around and dropped 18 points against Missouri on 63.6 percent shooting (7-of-11), including 66.7 percent shooting from long (2-of-3).
The back-to-back, double-doubles marked her third and fourth of the season – all on points and assists. She became the first player in program history to have consecutive games with at least 18 points and 12 assists.
Her scoring average and assist average improved over the pair of games, as she remains the only player in the nation averaging at least 13.0 ppg and 9.0 apg.
Moreover, following her performance at LSU, Morgan became the only DI women’s player since at least 2002-03 to have at least 24 points, 12 assists and 0 turnovers against an AP Top 5 opponent (home or away). She is one of two DI women’s players since at least 2002-03 (also Caitlin Clark) to have at least 24 points and 12 assists in a true road game against an AP Top 5 opponent.
Moreover, she became the only SEC player since at least 2002-03 to have three games with at least 10 assists and 0 turnovers in a single season and is tied as the second DI player since at least 2002-03 to have three such games in a single season.
Morgan was instrumental in Kentucky remaining the only team in the country to have beaten a top five team on the road this season.
The Wildcat was named to the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Preseason Top 20 Watch List earlier this season.
Kentucky is set to take on 15-1 Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET on SEC Network before returning home to play host to No. 5 Oklahoma in Historic Memorial Coliseum on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET on SEC Network. Tickets to the top-10 showdown are available here.
For more information on the Kentucky women’s basketball team, visit UKathletics.com or follow @KentuckyWBB on X, Instagram, and Facebook.
