University of Utah junior Morgan Warburton has been named the Mountain West Conference women's basketball player of the week.
Warburton led the Utes to two victories last week — at home against BYU and on the road at New Mexico — to earn this week's honor. She led her team in scoring, averaging 20.5 points per game on .500 shooting (12-for-24) from the field.
Against BYU, the Helper, Utah, native scored a season- and game-high 24 points on 5-for-10 shooting. The majority of her points came from the free-throw line where she was a perfect 12-for-12, adding to her current league-leading free-throw percentage (.850). That marks ties a Utah record that has stood untouched for 20 years. Warburton scored 20 of her points against the Cougars in the second half, including an 8-for-8 mark from the foul line. She also contributed two rebounds, three assists and two steals.
The guard tallied 17 points on 7-for-14 shooting against New Mexico, scoring 10 in the second half to fuel the Utes' comeback win. Trailing by 12 with 4:49 left in the game, Warburton, accompanied by teammate Kalee Whipple, scored eight straight points during an 18-4 run that allowed Utah to rally against the Lobos. Warburton added five rebounds, four assists and three steals.
For the season, Warburton ranks second in the league in points, averaging 17.4 per game. She has scored in double figures in all 26 games the Utes have played this season. This marks her second weekly honor of the year.