Nevada junior guard Deonte Burton and New Mexico junior guard Tony Snell have been named Mountain West Men’s Basketball Co-Players of the Week for games through November 18. This is the first MW career weekly accolade for both Burton and Snell.
Burton guided Nevada to a 3-0 record and the championship of the World Vision Classic last week. On Friday, the Los Angeles, Calif., product scored 12 of his team-high 19 points in the second half, including the final five of the game, to lead the Wolf Pack in an 80-77 comeback victory over Cal State Fullerton. With Nevada trailing, 77-75, and 33 seconds left to play, Burton converted a layup and three free throws while also blocking a potential go-ahead basket to seal the win. He also tallied a game-high 19 points against Green Bay on Saturday, capped off by another game-winning basket. After the Phoenix went up, 69-68, with 11 seconds left to play, Burton took the inbounds pass and hit a deep 3-pointer with two seconds on the clock for the 71-69 victory. Burton closed out the week with 14 points in a 79-61 triumph over Southern Utah. His 3-pointer and two free throws during a two-possession span midway through the second half brought the Wolf Pack back from a three-point deficit (49-46) and gave them a lead they would not relinquish. For the week, Burton averaged 17.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.5 steals, 3.0 assists and 2.0 blocks per game
Snell helped New Mexico to a 3-0 record last week with victories over Davidson, Illinois-Chicago and George Mason. The Riverside, Calif., native opened the week with a then career-high 25 points, five rebounds and three assists in an 86-81 victory over the Wildcats in ESPN’s 24 Hours of College Hoops Marathon. Snell scored 11 of his points over the final 20 minutes as the Lobos rallied from a 16-point deficit to mark the program’s sixth-largest comeback overall and second-largest in the second half. He followed that performance with a combined 34 points, six assists and three steals in wins against the UIC Flames (66-59) and GMU Patriots (70-69) in the first two rounds of the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, over the weekend. In Sunday’s semifinal outing against George Mason, Snell improved on his career-best with 27 points, including a game-winning 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds left to play that capped off a five-point comeback for the Lobos over the final 17.8 seconds. For the week, Snell averaged 19.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per game, while dishing out nine assists to just three turnovers.
2012-13 MW Men’s Basketball Players of the Week:
Nov. 12 Colton Iverson, Sr., C, Colorado State
Nov. 19 Deonte Burton, Jr., G, Nevada
Tony Snell, Jr., G, New Mexico
