Feb. 19, 2007

Dallas, Texas - Mizzou freshman guard Keon Lawrence (Newark, N.J. / Weequahic HS) was named the Big 12 Conference's Rookie of the Week after averaging 21.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in a 78-71 win over Baylor and a 75-64 win at No. 18 Oklahoma State.

Lawrence earned the fourth Big 12 Rookie of the Week honor for Mizzou this season. Fellow backcourt mate Stefhon Hannah (Chicago, Ill. / Hyde Park / Chipola CC) has claimed the award three times this season. The four Big 12 Rookie of the Week awards are a school record for Mizzou. The Tigers claimed three R.O.W. awards in 1999-2000, when Kareem Rush claimed the honor twice and Tajudeen Soyoye earned it once.

Lawrence, nicknamed Showtime by teammates, opened his outstanding week with a career high 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting against Baylor. The Newark, N.J., native hit 4-of-6 treys vs. the Bears, while grabbing a career high eight boards. The 24 points were the eighth-highest scoring total in school history for a Tiger freshman and the most since Rush poured in 31 at Texas Tech in 1999-2000. Lawrence added two assists and two blocks vs. the Bears and failed to commit a turnover in 34 minutes of action.

Lawrence followed that effort up with a game-high 18 points at No. 18 Oklahoma State on 8-of-11 shooting. The 6-foot-2 guard hit 2-of-3 shots from three-point range, while grabbing a career-high tying (and game high) eight rebounds. He also dished two assists and recorded a pair of steals in 35 minutes.

For the week, Lawrence shot a remarkable 17-of-24 (70.8 percent) from the floor, including 6-of-9 shooting (.667) from three-point range. He helped Missouri secure wins No. 15 and No. 16 on the year. Last season, Mizzou had just 12 wins and returned just 37 percent of its scoring from that club. In addition, Mizzou's win at Oklahoma State was the first since the 1995-96 season and the 11-point win over the 18th-ranked Cowboys was Missouri's largest on the road vs. a Top 25 program since Dec. 7, 1991, when the Tigers beat No. 11 Arkansas 87-76 in Fayetteville.

One more connection between Lawrence and the former Tiger Kareem Rush, the 42 points in back-to-back games are the most for a Tiger freshman guard since Rush scored 50 points in back-to-back games against Texas Tech (31) and Kansas State (19) in 1999-2000.

Lawrence and the Tigers return to action on Feb. 20 at Mizzou Arena against Oklahoma. Game time between the Tigers and Sooners is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tickets for Tuesday's game are available through the Mizzou Athletics Ticket Office by calling 1-800-CAT-PAWS.