Dec. 14, 2009
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – New Mexico senior Roman Martinez and San Diego State freshman Kawhi Leonard have been named the Mountain West Conference Men’s Basketball Co-Players of the Week for games through December 12. This is the fourth weekly accolade of Martinez’s career and the first for Leonard.
A 6-6 forward from El Paso, Texas, Martinez led the Lobos to victories at San Diego (82-78) and vs. then-No. 16 Texas A&M (84-81) last week. Against the Toreros, Martinez knocked down eight of his nine three-point attempts on the way to a game-high 26 points. His 88.9 percent accuracy from beyond the arc tied a UNM school record, while the eight 3’s tied for the third most makes for a single game in the Lobo program annals. Martinez made his first seven tries from three-point land, six of which came in the second half. He scored eight consecutive points midway through the second half, helping the Lobos break a 47-47 tie and take control of the contest. Against Texas A&M, Martinez scored 22 points (7-for-13 from the field) and pulled down seven rebounds in a game-high 38 minutes. His two free throws with nine seconds left in the game sealed UNM’s second victory over a nationally-ranked opponent in 11 days. Martinez also shot 4-for-7 from beyond the arc vs. the Aggies, three of which came during a 1:14 span in the second half. For the week, Martinez averaged 24.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game, while shooting 15-for-22 (68.2 percent) from the field, 12-of-16 (75.0 percent) from beyond the arc and 6-for-9 (66.7 percent) from the charity stripe.
Leonard, a 6-7 forward from Riverside, Calif., led the Aztecs to a pair of home victories over Cal State Fullerton (82-68) and Arizona (63-46) last week. Against Cal State Fullerton, he led all players with career-highs of 23 points and 18 rebounds. His 18 boards were the second most in Viejas Arena history and the most by an Aztec freshman since Michael Cage had 20 on Feb. 24, 1981. Leonard’s rebound total also ties the Conference freshman all-time mark. For the game, he also had a career-high five assists to go along with two steals and one block in 38 minutes of action. Against Arizona, Leonard had team-highs of 13 points and 12 rebounds, helping SDSU to its first win over the Wildcats since 1983, ending a seven-game slide in the series. The Aztecs also held the Wildcats to their lowest point total since March 15, 1985. The double-double was his second straight and third in his last five games overall. He also contributed two assists and one steal in his 35 minutes on the court. On the week, Leonard averaged 18 points, 15 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game, while shooting 48.4 percent (15-for-31) from the floor.
MWC Men’s Basketball Players of the Week:
Nov. 16 – Jimmer Fredette, Jr., G, BYU
Nov. 23 – Darington Hobson, Jr., G/F, New Mexico
Nov. 30 – Grant Parker, Sr., F, Air Force
Dec. 7 – Roman Martinez, Sr., F, New Mexico
Dec. 14 – Roman Martinez, Sr., F, New Mexico; Kawhi Leonard, Fr., F, San Diego State