Richards, Hardy Earn Big 12 Honors

Dallas - Nebraska senior guard Margaret Richards earned the first Big 12 Conference Player-of-the-Week award of her career, and freshman guard Kiera Hardy added league Rookie-of-the-Week accolades, the conference office in Dallas announced on Monday.

Richards, who shared Player-of-the-Week honors with Baylor’s Jessika Stratton, led the Huskers to one of the biggest wins in school history with 21 points, eight rebounds, five assists and a career-high five steals in a win over then-No. 9 Kansas State on Saturday. Hardy added 11 points, three rebounds and three steals against the Wildcats.

Players are nominated by each school’s sports information office and voted on by a panel of media who cover Big 12 women’s basketball.

Richards, a 5-9 senior guard, provided possibly the best all-around game of her career in Nebraska’s 81-63 win over No. 9 Kansas State. She erupted for 21 points, eight rebounds, five assists, a career-high five steals and one blocked shot to power the Huskers past the Wildcats.

The Louisville, Ky., native connected on 9-16 shots from the field, including her only three-point attempt of the day, to help Nebraska to a season-best 53.8 shooting percentage against KSU. Richards sparked numerous fast-break opportunities for the Huskers with her steals and defensive rebounding, allowing Nebraska to thrive on a 22-4 advantage in fast-break points. She added a solid effort with 13 points, four rebounds and a blocked shot in the Huskers’ mid-week loss at No. 3 Texas Tech.

For the week, Richards averaged 17.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.0 blocked shots per game to increase her season averages to 11.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.8 blocks per game.

Hardy, a 5-6 freshman guard, also played an instrumental role in Nebraska’s upset of No. 9 Kansas State. She produced her sixth double-figure scoring performance of the season by notching 11 points along with three steals, three rebounds and an assist.

Midway through the second half, the Kansas City, Mo., native ignited Nebraska’s decisive run by scoring nine points, grabbing one rebound and snagging one steal during a 2:13 span that helped NU turn a nine-point lead into a 16-point advantage. Hardy hit 5-9 shots from the field, including 1-2 three-point attempts on the day, despite playing just 17 minutes off the bench.

Big 12 Player of the Week
Nov. 24 ? Jamie Carey, Texas and Jia Perkins, Texas Tech
Dec. 1 ? Tera Bjorklund, Colorado
Dec. 8 ? Trisha Skibbe, Oklahoma State
Dec. 15 ? Keasha Cannon-Johnson, Nebraska
Dec. 22 ? Heather Schreiber, Texas
Jan. 5 ? Jamie Carey, Texas
Jan. 12 ? Nicole Ohlde, Kansas State
Jan. 19 ? Sophia Young, Baylor
Jan. 26 ? Margaret Richards, Nebraska and Jessika Stratton, Baylor

Big 12 Rookie of the Week
Nov. 24 ? Emily Waner, Colorado
Dec. 1 ? Tiffany Jackson, Texas
Dec. 8 ? Lyndsey Medders, Iowa State
Dec. 15 ? Emily Niemann, Baylor
Dec. 22 ? Alesha Robertson, Texas Tech
Jan. 5 ? Tiffany Jackson, Texas
Jan. 12 ? Leah Rush, Oklahoma
Jan. 19 ? Emily Waner, Colorado
Jan. 26 ? Kiera Hardy, Nebraska