ST. LOUIS – Redshirt sophomore Sara Rhine (Eldon, Mo.) of the Drake University women's basketball team has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week for the third time this season, the MVC office announced Monday, Feb. 12 afternoon.
 
Coming off the bench, Rhine averaged 17.5 points and 7.5 rebounds while shooting 73.9 percent (14-of-19) from the floor, including making 3-of-4 (75.0 percent) from behind the arc to help Drake win at Evansville and Indiana State. She started the weekend against Evansville with a game-high 19 points on a 7-of-8 shooting night to go with four rebounds and one block in just 16 minutes. Rhine followed that performance against the Sycamores with her fifth double-double this year with 16 points and 11 rebounds. She made 7-of-11 shots, added one block and nabbed one steal in 20 minutes.
 
This season, Rhine is averaging 15.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, which ranks second and tied for fifth, respectively, in the MVC. She leads the MVC in field goal percentage at 57.5 percent. She was previously named MVC Player of the Week on Dec. 4 and Jan. 15. Rhine has been named MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week four times this season.
 
Rhine and her teammates visit UNI Friday, Feb. 16 with tipoff with the Panthers set for 7 p.m. The in-state rivalry game is the MVC's Game of the Week on ESPN3.