St. LOUIS, Mo. - Junior Sarah Nelson was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week and Scholar-Athlete of the week for her play at the Caribbean Classic on Dec. 21 and 22.

An Omaha native, Nelson averaged 17 points and 7.5 rebounds in the Jays' two victories at the Caribbean Classic.  In Creighton's opener against Miami (Ohio), a 66-57 win on Dec. 21, the Bluejay post player led the team with seven rebounds and seven assists.  The following afternoon, Nelson was unstoppable as she posted a career-high 29 points on 12-of-14 shooting, to lead Creighton to a 91-74 win over South Florida. 

Nelson nailed all four of her three-pointers against the USF Bulls and also led the team with eight rebounds and three blocked shots, lifting Creighton to its first tournament championship since 2007-08 when the Jays won the Rocky Mountain Invitational.  

Over the two contests, Nelson had 34 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists and just four turnovers in 60 minutes of play. From the field she was a combined 14-of-16 (.875) from the field, including a perfect 5-of-5 from beyond the arc. 

This is Nelson’s third career Player of the Week honor and the first for Creighton since Nelson claimed the award on Nov. 28, 2011.  

The Scholar-Athlete of the Week award is Nelson’s second, the first coming on Nov. 16, 2011.  A finance major, Nelson boasts a 3.658 grade-point average. 

Now in its 14th year of existence, The Valley’s Scholar-Athlete program honors its student-athletes for their athletic performance for a one-week period and academic success in the classroom.

To qualify for Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Week laurels, student-athletes must carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.20, completed at least one academic year at a Valley institution and must be at least a sophomore in academic standing.