RICHARDSON, Texas -- For the first time this season, a St. Mary's Men's Basketball player has been awarded with the Player of the Week as
Ryan Leonard was named the Defensive Player.
Leonard, a junior from Kerry, Ireland led the team with seven steals and six blocked shots over the busy four-game week while tying for second on the Rattlers with his 17 rebounds. The Ireland native's defense came up huge throughout the week and was highlighted in StMU's upset over No. 20 West Texas A&M when he came away with a career-high five steals, two blocks and five rebounds. Both blocks came in overtime, his last coming with just 33 seconds remaining to keep the Rattlers in front by two possessions.
For the week, Leonard anchored a defense that held opponents to just 39.1 percent shooting from the field, including a 26.5 percent (26-of-98) from beyond the arc. The junior also led the team in scoring with 12.5 points per game, headlining a group of five different players in double figures for StMU.
