Okoro wins SEC award in Week 6

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Isaac Okoro wins SEC award in Week 6

Updated Dec 09, 2019;Posted Dec 09, 2019

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In Auburn’s overtime win against Furman, freshman Isaac Okoro opened the scoring in extra minutes and then iced the game with two free throws. The SEC recognized his performance by naming him the SEC freshman of the week.

The 6-foot-6, 225-pound forward had a career-best performance against Furman, with 18 points and nine rebounds. He also added three assists and a block and went 4-4 from the foul line. He was one rebound away from his first double-double of his college career.

As Auburn struggled to get its shots to fall, it fell behind by 14 points. Okoro helped pace the comeback. His defense helped Auburn go on an 8-0 run, and his and-1 made it a one-point game.

When the Tigers went into overtime, Okoro laid the ball in for the first points in extra minutes. He scored a team-high six points in overtime. With one second left on the clock, Okoro hit two free throws to increase the Tigers lead to 81-78. The Paladins couldn’t hit the buzzer beater, and Auburn improved to 8-0. Okoro led the team in scoring and was second in rebounding.

Through eight games, Okoro has scored in double digits in all but one game. Against Richmond, he scored just nine points because he got into foul trouble early on. He has helped the undefeated Tigers rise 12 spots from their original AP Poll ranking of No. 24 to No. 12.

This is the second week Okoro has won SEC freshman of the week. He is the fourth freshman in program history to win the award twice in a single season.