University of Tennessee Athletics
Nared Named SEC Co-Player of the Week
January 31, 2017 | Women's Basketball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Tennessee junior forward Jaime Nared, who fired in a career-high 27 points and added five rebounds, three assists and three steals as the Lady Vols upset #4 South Carolina in Columbia on Monday night, was named the SEC Women’s Basketball Co-Player of the Week, the league announced on Tuesday.
The win was Tennessee's first over a top-five team on the road since beating #5 UConn, 70-64, on Jan. 6, 2007.
With a full-throated partisan crowd of 13,690 doing its best to discourage her, Nared coolly-hit a pair of free throws with 5.9 seconds remaining to provide the victorious margin.
Nared actually hit 5-of-6 free throws in the final 33 seconds to help Tennessee snap a three-game losing skid to USC and end the Gamecocks’ 30-game SEC home winning streak.
The 6-foot-2 native of Portland, Ore. (Westview H.S.) helped UT make it a 2-0 road swing during the voting period, tallying 16 points and grabbing seven boards on Thursday in an 84-75 win at Florida.
For the week, Nared averaged 21.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals, helping the Lady Vols improve to 14-7 overall and 5-3 in league play. Her effort was key in enabling Tennessee to snap a two-game road losing skid in league play and even UT’s record at 5-5 away from home this season.
Nared became UT’s second SEC Player of the Week in 2016-17, following fellow Oregonian Mercedes Russell, who was selected on Jan. 3.
The Lady Vols return to action on Thursday at Thompson-Boling Arena, as LSU (15-6, 4-4 SEC) comes to town for the annual Live Pink, Bleed Orange game that brings awareness to the fight against breast cancer. Tip is slated for 7 p.m. ET, and the contest will be carried online on SECN+.
