Purdue’s Ryne Smith Named Big Ten Co-Player Of The Week

purdue-logo.jpgPurdue junior guard Ryne Smith was named the league’s Co-Player of the Week by the Big Ten Office on Monday after shooting nearly 80 percent from the arc last week in wins over Penn State and Iowa.

The honor is the first of Smith’s career, and the second time in as many weeks that a Boilermaker has earned a share of the weekly accolade after E’Twaun Moore did so on Jan. 3. Smith shared the award with Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger.

The Toledo, Ohio, native averaged a team-high 19.0 points per game in the two victories, shooting 78.6 percent (11-of-14) from the arc. He also averaged 3.5 rebounds – more than tripling his career average of 1.0 per game – and 1.5 assists per game on the week.

Smith kicked the week off in style at Penn State, scoring a career-high 20 points to lead all participants in Purdue’s 83-68 victory. He tied the program record for three-point field goals in a game without a miss, going 5-of-5 from deep, and also added five free throws on seven attempts. He also tied his career high with four rebounds against the Nittany Lions.

Sunday’s win over Iowa saw Smith maintain his hot streak from three-point range, as he rang up a career-high six triples on nine attempts to finish with a game-high 18 points. He also matched his career best with three assists and added the second block of his career in a personal-best 32 minutes of action.

Smith has been lights out from the field in Big Ten play, shooting 67.9 percent (19-of-28) from the floor and 66.7 percent (18-of-27) on his way to an average of 17.0 points per game. His efficiency numbers have been even more impressive, as he has averaged 2.43 points per field goal attempt.

He had a stretch of eight-consecutive makes from beyond the arc that spanned the Northwestern and Penn State games, and came to an end on his second attempt versus Iowa.

Purdue returns to the floor on Thursday night, when it puts its 10-game road winning streak, including eight in a row in Big Ten play, on the line at Minnesota. ESPN will televise the game at 7 p.m. ET, and the Purdue Sports Network will carry the action on the radio waves.