Nov. 23, 2009

IRVING, Texas - University of Memphis sophomore Elliot Williams has been named the Conference USA Rookie of the Week, the league office announced Monday. This is the first weekly honor for Williams this season.

Only first-year players - freshmen, transfers and redshirts - are eligible for the C-USA Rookie of the Week honor. The 2009-10 campaign is the second season the league is awarding the weekly Rookie of the Week accolade. Last year, Tyreke Evans earned the honor a league-record nine times.

In the Tigers' two games last week, Williams averaged 22.0 points and 5.0 rebounds. The 6-foot-5 guard netted a career-high 21 points and grabbed a team-high six rebounds against No. 1 Kansas Nov. 17, and then bettered his scoring output with a 23-point performance versus Tennessee Tech Nov. 20.

Against the top-ranked Jayhawks, 13 of Williams' 21 points were scored in the second half, and eight came in the final 5:18 of the contest. Williams nailed a three-pointer with 18 seconds to play to cut the Jayhawks' lead to 56-55, but his trey at the buzzer for the win rimmed out, allowing Kansas to hang on for the 57-55 victory.

In the 92-59 win over Tennessee Tech, Williams had an emphatic dunk with a little over a minute left before halftime. On the next possession, he threw an alley-oop from halfcourt to teammate Will Coleman, who slammed it home. Williams also contributed four rebounds, four assists and two steals in the victory over the Golden Eagles.

The Tigers (2-1), ranked in the Also Receiving Votes category of both national polls this week, return to action Tuesday, Nov. 24 when they host Central Arkansas. Game time is 7 p.m. (CT) at FedExForum.