BOSTON - Kennedy Austin was named America East Rookie of the Week for the second consecutive week, making her the first Retriever since 2017 to secure the honor in back-to-back weeks. Austin is the eighth player in program history to earn AE Rookie of the Week honors in consecutive weeks. 

Austin needed just one game to get the job done this week, putting forth a stellar effort in a 66-48 win for the Retrievers at Morgan State on Saturday afternoon. In the starting lineup for the fourth straight game, Austin scored 19 points, grabbed six rebounds, added a steal, and handed out an assist in 25 minutes of action. The Waldorf, Md. native shot 6-13 from the floor, knocked down all seven of her free throws, and pulled down five offensive rebounds in the win.  The freshman scored 14 of her 19 points in the first half as UMBC entered halftime with a six-point advantage. 

Since entering the starting lineup, Austin is averaging 18 points per game and 4.5 rebounds. In those four games, Austin has bullied her way into the paint, taking 39 free throws and making 31 of them. She has raised her per-game scoring average nearly four points (9.6 -> 13.3) during this stretch. 

If the season ended today, Austin's scoring average (13.3) would rank her seventh all-time in UMBC freshman history. She is already 18 free throws shy of the freshman top 10. 

UMBC hosts Loyola (Md.) on Tuesday night at 8 p.m. inside the 'Peake.