Watkins earns SEC honor

FAYETTEVILLE – University of Arkansas sophomore Sarah Watkins earned Southeastern Conference Player of the Week honors the league office announced today.

Watkins, a Germantown, Tenn., native, paced the 25th-ranked Razorbacks (14-1, 2-1 SEC) to wins over No. 10 Kentucky and at Mississippi State in conference action this week.

The 6-3 post player had six blocks and scored 14 points and was 6-for-6 from the free throw line leading the Razorbacks to a 78-67 win over the Wildcats in Bud Walton Arena Sunday. She had six blocks in the win.

Her blocking total tied an Arkansas individual player record in an SEC game and was part of an 11-block night for the Razorbacks.

She was one rebound shy of a double-double grabbing nine rebounds in the game.

Watkins added 21 points at Mississippi State missing her career high by one point. Watkins was 9-for-16 in the win with six rebounds.

The solid week of play moved Watkins up in the stats. She ranks second on the team with 12.9 points-per-game and is second with 5.7 rebounds-per-game this year.

A starter in all 15 games for Tom Collens’ Razorbacks, Watkins is an inside-outside threat to opponents. She shoots .528 from the floor and is 9-for-16 from three-point range. Her nine threes ranks second on the team to junior Lyndsay Harris.

Watkins leads the team from the line as well. She is 33-for-45 this year shooting 73.3 percent from the charity stripe. Watkins is second for the Razorbacks with 85 total rebounds and leads the team with 30 blocks – just 10 shy of her freshman season total.

Weather stranded Watkins and the Razorbacks in Mississippi after Sunday afternoon’s win and forced the cancellation of the monthly women’s basketball luncheon.

The team is expected to return to campus Monday afternoon and resume practices in preparation for the 8 p.m. game with Georgia in Bud Walton Arena Thursday.