Baylor's Austin claims second Big 12 Rookie of the Week honor

Baylor men’s basketball freshman Isaiah Austin earned his second Phillips 66 Big 12 Rookie of the Week honor today for his performance in last week’s game against Lamar.

In Baylor’s 85-68 win over Lamar on Wednesday, Austin registered his second career double-double with 23 points and 17 rebounds. He also added two assists, one block and one steal while shooting 11 for 19 from the field.

Austin joined big names, former All-Americans Kevin Durant (Texas) and Michael Beasley (Kansas State), as the only freshmen in Big 12 history to record at least 23 points and 17 rebounds in a game.

With his performance, Austin is now second in the Big 12 in rebounding (8.4 per game), fifth in field goal percentage (52.7) and seventh in scoring (14.1 points per game). He is the top Big 12 freshman in rebounding and field goal percentage and ranks second among freshmen in scoring.

This marks the fourth consecutive year that a Bear has been named Rookie of the Week twice in a season. Preceding Austin the recent two-time winners included Ekpe Udoh (2010), Perry Jones III (2011) and Pierre Jackson (2012).

Baylor returns to action with a pair of home games this week. The Bears host USC Upstate at 7 p.m. CT Monday at the Ferrell Center, in a game that will be televised nationally on FCS Central and regionally on FOX Sports Southwest and FSN Plus. Baylor then takes on BYU at 8 p.m. CT Friday on ESPN2. -- Savannah Pullin