SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – On the back of her acceptance to the 1,000 point club and back-to-back double-double performances, Olivia Kaufmann was named Summit League Player of the Week, the league offices announced Monday (Jan. 13).
The award was Kaufmann’s first, as well as the first for Western Illinois.
“I’m really proud of Olivia and our team for the performances we had this week,” head coach JD Gravina said. “We’ve been through so much adversity and have just stepped up and battled. Olivia is really getting comfortable and confident. The fact that she not only can score it the way she does but also have double-digit rebounds both games is remarkable.”
Kaufmann became the 19th Leatherneck to achieve the 1K mark with a three-pointer in the first quarter in 79-68 victory over Purdue Fort Wayne. She finished with 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. The Jacksonville, Ill. native is third in The Summit averaging 16.6 points per game.
Before the 82-75 win over Denver, former teammate and current all-time leading scorer Taylor Higginbotham presented Kaufmann with her achievement, and the current senior guard made her relive their playing days.
With 39 seconds left, Kaufmann hit a driving layup and then grabbed the defensive rebound on the other end to set up for two made free-throws and sink the Denver comeback en route to a 24 point performance. She notched back-to-back games with a double-double and her fourth of the season.
Western Illinois will try to sweep the three-game homestand on Saturday against Oral Roberts Saturday (Jan. 18) at 4:30 p.m.
Contact: Matthew Hutchison, Graduate Assistant Athletic Communications
