LEXINGTON, Ky. – For the third time this season, University of Kentucky senior post Evelyn Akhator has been named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Week after becoming the second player in school history to record 24+ points and 15+ rebounds in consecutive games, the league office announced Tuesday, Jan. 17.

This is the third SEC Player of the Week honor for Akhator, who is one of two players in the league to earn three or more player of the week honors. Akhator earned the first honor of the season after her impressive performances against highly ranked Miami (Fla.) and Albany, and won the award again after a clutch performance against Washington State. This is the fourth career honor for Akhator, who was named SEC Player of the Week last season after an impressive performance against Texas A&M.

The award comes after two dominating performances in Kentucky’s wins over Alabama, who was receiving votes in the Associated Press Top 25, and Georgia. Against the Crimson Tide, Akhator posted a career-high 29 points with 15 rebounds and three assists. The native of Lagos, Nigeria, went 12-of-14 from the field against the Tide, which tied the third-best shooting performance in program history with a minimum of 14 attempts and the best since Karen Mosley in 1984. Her 29 points were the most for a Wildcat in a SEC road game in the Matthew Mitchell era.

She followed that performance with 24 points against Georgia, adding a season-high 16 rebounds with two blocks and two steals. Akhator was 10-of-15 from the field in the game and became the first UK player to have 15+ rebounds in consecutive games since Victoria Dunlap in 2009.

Overall on the week, Akhator scored 53 points with 31 rebounds and shot 75.8 percent from the field. The two double-doubles moved her season total to 10 and her career total to 23, which ranks fourth most in program history. Akhator is the second player in program history to score 24 or more points with 15 or more rebounds in consecutive games, joining Valerie Still to accomplish that feat.