Jan. 21, 2008
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - San Diego State junior forward Lorrenzo Wade has been named Mountain West Conference men's basketball player of the week, the league announced Monday morning. Wade is the third Aztec to win the award this season joining classmate Kyle Spain and frontcourt teammate Billy White.
In earning his first career weekly award, Wade averaged 15.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in helping SDSU to a perfect 2-0 week with victories over Utah and Wyoming and strengthening its hold on first place in the MWC with a 4-0 league mark, its best start to a conference campaign since the 1984-85 WAC season.
For the week, the Las Vegas, Nev., native led the Aztecs in rebounding, assists and minutes played (35.0), while anchoring a defense that limited its opponents to 49.5 points, 38.4-percent field-goal shooting and 14.8-percent from behind the three-point arc.
In the 64-56 overtime win over Utah, Wade scored a game-high 20 points and added a game-high tying eight rebounds as SDSU rallied from 11 points down and a 10-point second-half hole to claim the victory. The junior kept the Aztecs in the game as he scored 12 of San Diego State's 20 first-half points on the strength of 6-of-11 shooting from the field.
With game close and time winding down in regulation, Wade scored SDSU's final four points to force the overtime session. In the extra frame, Wade grabbed a pair of rebounds and made two free throws in the final 1 minute, 33 seconds to ensure the Aztec win. Wade's 20-point effort was his second straight and marked the first time in his career in which he posted consecutive games with at least 20 points.
Later in the week, in a nationally televised contest vs. Wyoming, Wade became the first Aztec this season to record a double-double with 11 points and a career-best and game-high 13 rebounds. Wade's effort helped San Diego State match its largest margin of victory in an MWC game, 27 points, in securing the 70-43 victory at home. The junior also had five assists in the game, which equaled how many the Cowboys had as a team. Wade's double-double effort was the third of his career.
This is the third time in MWC history that the Aztecs have had three separate players win league player of the week honors with the two previous teams reaching the NCAA Tournament. In 2001-02, Tony Bland, Al Faux and Randy Holcomb were all player of the week recipients as were Marcus Slaughter, Kyle Spain and Brandon Heath in 2005-06.