Banham Named Big Ten Player and Freshman of the Week

Minnesota guard Rachel Banham swept the Big Ten Women’s Basketball weekly awards Monday, as she was named the league’s Player and Freshman of the Week after helping the Golden Gophers to wins vs. Indiana and Northwestern last week.  
 
Banham, a rookie from Lakeville, Minn., earned her first career Big Ten Player of the Week honor and third Freshman of the Week accolade by averaging 23.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists, while shooting 87.5 percent (7-for-8) from three-point range in the pair of league victories.
 
The rookie posted her first career double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds, and connected on all five three-point tries, in the Gophers’ win over Indiana, before pouring in a career-best 26 points with eight rebounds and three assists, also going 2-for-3 from behind the arc, to help Minnesota to a road win at Northwestern.
 
In conference-only contests, the guard currently leads all Big Ten competitors in three-point field goal percentage (.750) and ranks fourth in scoring (20.7) and three-point field goals made (3.0). Banham also ranks sixth in defensive rebounds (6.3) and is tied for 11th in rebounding (7.3).
 
In all games played, the rookie is ranks second in three-point field goal percentage (.444) and is tied with Northwestern’s Morgan Jones for 10th in scoring (15.0).
 
The last Gopher to earn Big Ten Player of the Week honors was Ashley Ellis-Milan, who earned the distinction on Jan. 20, 2009.
 
Banham previously earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week accolades on Dec. 26 and Dec. 12.