ST. LOUIS -- For the second straight week a Missouri State Lady Bear has earned player of the week recognition from the Missouri Valley Conference, as Christiana Shorter has been named MVC Newcomer of the Week, the league office announced Monday. Shorter recorded a pair of double-digit scoring games and established new single-game career highs for points and rebounds in helping MSU split a pair of contests last week.

Shorter posted the best week of her young career, averaging 14.5 points and 8.0 rebounds while shooting 56 percent from the field and 90 percent from the free throw line to earn all-tournament recognition at the Commerce Bank Wildcat Classic in Manhattan, Kan. In MSU's victory over UTEP on Friday, the Tulsa native turned in career highs of 14 points and nine rebounds. She came up big in the second half, scoring 10 points and going 4-of-4 from the charity stripe to help put away the seven-point victory for MSU. 

Against Kansas State in the title game on Saturday, Shorter topped her career scoring high for the second straight day. She went 5-of-9 from the floor and 5-of-6 at the foul line, registering team highs of 15 points and seven boards in MSU's near-upset of the Wildcats on their home floor.

For the season, Shorter has started all seven games and is third on the team in both scoring (8.7 ppg.) and rebounding (4.6 rpg.), while her five blocked shots lead the squad.

Shorter joins sophomore guard Casey Garrison, who received the Valley's Player of the Week award last week, on the MVC's women's basketball honor roll for 2009-10. The honor also marks the ninth time in the last three seasons a Missouri State player has earned the conference's weekly award for top newcomer.

Missouri State (4-3) will be back in action Tuesday (Dec. 8) when they return home from a four-game road trip to host Tulsa in a 7:05 p.m. contest at JQH Arena.