Sam Morris / Las Vegas Sun
Monday, Jan. 23, 2012 | 9:37 a.m.
Anthony Marshall’s impressive week for the UNLV basketball team was rewarded Monday.
The junior guard from Las Vegas was named the Mountain West Conference Player of the Week, sharing the honor with Wyoming forward Leonard Washington for games through Jan. 22.
In the Rebels’ double-digit home wins against TCU and New Mexico, Marshall averaged 20 points, nine assists, 5.5 rebounds and three steals. He was clearly the best player on the court, aggressively taking the ball to the basket on several occasions and dictating the pace of the game.
“It’s hard to guard when Anthony Marshall is coming at you 100 miles an hour,” teammate Mike Moser said after UNLV’s 80-63 win Saturday against New Mexico.
In 36 minutes against New Mexico, Marshall tallied 13 points on 6-of-13 shooting and dished out nine assists. He added six rebounds and four steals.
Marshall also had nine assists last Wednesday in the win against TCU, and more importantly, only committed one turnover in UNLV’s 101-78 victory. He finished with a career-high 27 points, adding five rebounds, three blocks and two steal in 30 minutes.
“Anthony Marshall is playing as well as any guard in the country right now,” UNLV coach Dave Rice said following the TCU game. “(He’s) just playing with so much confidence and finding guys. He’s become truly a go-to offensive guy.”
Marshall has excelled in Rice’s up-tempo offense, sharing point guard duties with Oscar Bellfield and easily facilitating the offense. Whether it creating a scoring chance for himself or finding an open teammate, Marshall seems to be making the right play.
“He’s taking what the defense gives,” Rice said. “He’s so quick with the ball, he’s shooting the ball with so much confidence that he becomes a very tough cover. … He’s such a team-oriented guy.”
Marshall is the third UNLV player this season to earn league honors. Moser, who is one of the nation’s leaders in rebounds, was named in consecutive weeks in late November. Chace Stanback, UNLV’s leading scorer, won for the week ending Dec. 26.
UNLV (18-3, 2-1) returns to action Wednesday at Boise State.
Washington averaged 22.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game while helping Wyoming to wins over Air Force and Colorado State.
Ray Brewer can be reached at 990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21.
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