Three Nevada athletes were awarded Mountain West Player of the Week honors for individual performances during the week ending Sunday, November 17. Nevada senior guard Deonte Burton has been named Mountain West Men’s Basketball Player of the Week. It is the second career MW weekly accolade for Burton. Nevada football’s junior linebacker Jonathan McNeal and senior punter Chase Tenpenny earned MW Defensive and Special Teams honors, respectively. It is the second-straight MW weekly accolade for Bibbs, while McNeal and Tenpenny earn their first career awards.
DEONTE BURTON
Senior, Guard, Los Angeles, Calif./Compton Centennial HS
- Averaged 26.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.5 steals as Nevada won a pair of road games last week, defeating Cal Poly (60-58) on Tuesday and San Francisco (92-90) on Friday.
- Shot a collective 51.3 percent (20-of-39) from the field, including 41.7 percent (5-for-12) from behind the arc.
- Against Cal Poly, he scored a game-high 22 points with five rebounds, one blocked shot and four steals in 39 minutes of action.
- With the Wolf Pack down 58-57, Burton drove the lane, and was fouled while scoring the basket with 6.6 seconds left to play. He converted the free throw, putting Nevada up 60-58. As the Mustangs brought the ball up the court to attempt one final shot, Burton stole the ball to preserve the Wolf Pack’s victory.
- At San Francisco, he led the team with a career-tying 31 points, adding six rebounds, one blocked shot, two assists and a steal in 37 minutes of play. He converted 11-of-20 shots from the field, including 4-of-8 from 3-point range. Of his 31 points, 23 came in the second half.
- Twice he led Nevada back from double-digit deficits against the Dons, once in each half. Burton’s 11 made field goals and four made 3-pointers tied career-highs, while his 20 field goal attempts established a new career-best.
JONATHAN MCNEAL
Junior, Linebacker, Los Angeles, Calif./Santa Monica CC
- · Recorded a career-high 15 tackles (six solo) in Nevada’s 38-16 win over San José State.
- · Recorded a sack on third down with the Spartans in Wolf Pack territory. The lost yardage forced the Spartans to settle for a field goal.
- · Helped the Wolf Pack hold the Spartans without a point in the second half.
CHASE TENPENNY
Senior, Punter, Oskaloosa, Kansas/Fort Scott CC
- · Punted four times for a 51.2 average with a long of 56 yards, and did not yield any punt return yardage.
- · Two of his punts were downed at the San José State 6-yard line.
- · His 51.2 yards per punt average is the seventh-best single-game average in school history.
- · Served as the holder for five successful PATs and a 44-yard field goal.
