NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee Tech's Kevin Murphy was named Monday as the Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Week, for his performances in three Golden Eagle games last week.

A 6-foot-6 forward from Fairburn, Ga., Murphy led Tech in games last week against Austin Peay, Murray State and UT Martin, averaging 17.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.0 steals per game. He scored 16 points in a start last Monday against Austin Peay and followed that with 12 points and seven boards in 27 minutes of action at Murray State.

Murphy wrapped up his strong week with a career-high 23 points at UT Martin, along with five rebounds, three assists and two steals at UT Martin. In that game Murphy hit 11-of-12 free throws and for the week connected on 17-of-19 (89.5%) charity attempts.

The Creekside High School product has scored in double figures in six of his last seven games, and ranks as the second-highest scoring freshman in the conference during league play with 9.8 points per game. In OVC action, Murphy ranks sixth in the league in free throw percentage and seventh in 3-point percentage.

Murphy and the Golden Eagles will be showcased this week on national TV when Tech hosts Tennessee State Thursday night on ESPNU. Tipoff for the game in Eblen Center is at 8:05 p.m. CST.

In addition to the award to Murphy, the OVC also named Morehead State sophomore center Kenneth Faried as the Player of the Week, and junior Lamont Russell of Southeast Missouri as the Newcomer of the Week.