University of Tennessee Athletics
Cooper Named SEC, USBWA Player of the Week
November 19, 2024 | Women's Basketball
Tennessee's Talaysia Cooper has been named the Southeastern Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Week, the league office announced on Tuesday.Â
About an hour after the SEC announcement, the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) named Cooper as one of its Ann Meyers Drysdale National Players of the Week.
Cooper, a 6-foot redshirt sophomore guard, had a breakout week in her young collegiate career, averaging 25.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.0 steals while shooting 55.6 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from beyond the arc and 100 percent at the free-throw line as her team improved to 4-0 on the season. This marks her first-ever recognition for SEC and USBWA Player of the Week.
The native of Turbeville, S.C., carded her first double-double as a collegian vs. Middle Tennessee, leading UT to an 89-75 victory over the Blue Raiders with 18 points and a career-high 10 rebounds against the preseason CUSA favorite. Cooper dished out four assists and tallied four steals and a block while connecting on eight of 16 shots from the field and both tries at the charity stripe. Her 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting in the third period helped repel a would-be MTSU rally.
On Saturday afternoon, Cooper narrowly missed a second straight double-double, firing in a career-best 33 points and yanking down nine caroms in a 109-93 win over Liberty. She added four assists and two steals while connecting on 60 percent (12-20) of her field goal attempts, 50 percent of her three-point tries (2-4) and all seven of her opportunities at the charity stripe. Cooper had 20 points by halftime, tallying nine in the opening frame and generating 11 in the second stanza as her squad seized a comfortable 64-43 lead at the intermission with that point total ranking as UT's third-best ever in an opening 20 minutes.
She is the only SEC player and one of seven in NCAA Division I over the past 23 years to record at least 33 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals in a game while shooting at least 60 percent on field goals (12-20), 50 percent on three pointers (2-4) and 100 percent on free throws (7-7). Cooper also became one of 26 Lady Vols all-time to net 33 or more points and joined Candace Parker (34 vs. Florida, 2/26/06) and Rennia Davis (33 at Arkansas, 2/8/18) as the only UT players since 2002-03 to do so as a freshman or sophomore.Â
For the season, Cooper paces five double-figure Lady Vol scorers at 19.0 ppg. while also producing 7.0 rpg., 4.0 apg. and 3.8 spg. with a shooting percentage line of 57.4/25.0/92.3. Cooper ranks No. 9 nationally with 15 steals and is No. 12 in steals per contest at 3.75 while standing No. 25 in total field goals at 31.
About an hour after the SEC announcement, the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) named Cooper as one of its Ann Meyers Drysdale National Players of the Week.
Cooper, a 6-foot redshirt sophomore guard, had a breakout week in her young collegiate career, averaging 25.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.0 steals while shooting 55.6 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from beyond the arc and 100 percent at the free-throw line as her team improved to 4-0 on the season. This marks her first-ever recognition for SEC and USBWA Player of the Week.
The native of Turbeville, S.C., carded her first double-double as a collegian vs. Middle Tennessee, leading UT to an 89-75 victory over the Blue Raiders with 18 points and a career-high 10 rebounds against the preseason CUSA favorite. Cooper dished out four assists and tallied four steals and a block while connecting on eight of 16 shots from the field and both tries at the charity stripe. Her 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting in the third period helped repel a would-be MTSU rally.
On Saturday afternoon, Cooper narrowly missed a second straight double-double, firing in a career-best 33 points and yanking down nine caroms in a 109-93 win over Liberty. She added four assists and two steals while connecting on 60 percent (12-20) of her field goal attempts, 50 percent of her three-point tries (2-4) and all seven of her opportunities at the charity stripe. Cooper had 20 points by halftime, tallying nine in the opening frame and generating 11 in the second stanza as her squad seized a comfortable 64-43 lead at the intermission with that point total ranking as UT's third-best ever in an opening 20 minutes.
She is the only SEC player and one of seven in NCAA Division I over the past 23 years to record at least 33 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals in a game while shooting at least 60 percent on field goals (12-20), 50 percent on three pointers (2-4) and 100 percent on free throws (7-7). Cooper also became one of 26 Lady Vols all-time to net 33 or more points and joined Candace Parker (34 vs. Florida, 2/26/06) and Rennia Davis (33 at Arkansas, 2/8/18) as the only UT players since 2002-03 to do so as a freshman or sophomore.Â
For the season, Cooper paces five double-figure Lady Vol scorers at 19.0 ppg. while also producing 7.0 rpg., 4.0 apg. and 3.8 spg. with a shooting percentage line of 57.4/25.0/92.3. Cooper ranks No. 9 nationally with 15 steals and is No. 12 in steals per contest at 3.75 while standing No. 25 in total field goals at 31.
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