Baylor women’s basketball swept Big 12 Conference awards this week, as forward Lauren Cox earned Player of the Week and guard Alexis Morris secured Freshman of the Week recognition on Monday afternoon.
Cox is a first time Big 12 Player of the Week honoree, but was named Big 12 Freshman of the Week on four occasions last season en route to Big 12 Sixth Man and All-Freshman Team recognition. Morris picks up her first career conference honor.
After missing the UCLA trip, Cox returned to the court in a big way, averaging a double-double (20.0 points, 13.0 rebounds) to guide the Lady Bears to a Junkanoo Division championship at the 2017 Junkanoo Jam last week.
She opened the tournament with a career-high seven blocks, 18 points and 10 rebounds in 25 minutes played against Missouri State, and elevated her game against Georgia Tech when she pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds, netted 22 points, posted three blocks and distributed four assists in 38 minutes played. Her performance against the Yellow Jackets marked her fourth career 20-point game and her second of the season.
Cox, who has recorded three double-doubles in a row, was named to the Junkanoo Jam All-Tournament Team for her efforts. She shot 48.6 percent from the floor, 50 percent from three-point range and was perfect from the foul line.
Morris averaged 14.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists off the bench to contribute to Baylor’s 2-0 week. Against Missouri State, she set career-highs with 17 points and seven field goals made, while also distributing four assists and pulling down three rebounds in 22 minutes.
In the championship game against Georgia Tech, Morris scored in double figures for the third consecutive game and the fourth time this season with 11 points. She also added two rebounds and two assists in her 24 minutes played.
In the two-game stretch, Morris shot 58.8 percent from the floor, 66.7 percent from beyond the arc and was perfect from the free throw line.
Baylor last swept Big 12 weekly awards on Feb. 27, 2017, when center Kalani Brown was named Big 12 Player of the Week and Cox was named Big 12 Freshman of the Week. These are the first weekly awards for the Lady Bears of the 2017-18 season.
