ST. LOUIS -- Headed into this week's Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in St. Louis, the Missouri State Bears are looking for a hot hand to carry them the distance. The league announced Monday that the Bears' Adam Leonard fits that bill as he was named MVC Newcomer of the Week after averaging 22.0 points per game during the team's final two games of the regular season.

Leonard led the Bears in scoring both games this week and notched his third 20-point scoring effort in four games in Saturday's overtime loss at Indiana State. On the week, Leonard tallied team-highs 44 points, 12 three-pointers and 76 minutes. He scored 24 points in the Bears' win over Drake Wednesday with seven three-pointers, one shy of the Missouri State single-game record. He then posted 20 points at Indiana State with five more treys in a narrow overtime loss to the Sycamores.

The tandem of Leonard (87) and Kyle Weems (61) have now combined for more three-point field goals this season (148) than any other pair in school history. On Saturday, they surpassed the previous record of 144 held by Blake Ahearn and Tyler Chaney (2006-07). Leonard is also just 7 three-pointers shy of the MSU single-season record by an individual, currently held by Ahearn (2006-07) and Johnny Murdock (1992-93).

This is Leonard's third MVC Newcomer of the Week honor this season. He also earned the award on Nov. 30, and Feb. 8. Teammate Jermaine Mallett also won the honor on Jan. 4, giving the squad four recipients this season. Prior to this season, Missouri State had received four total Newcomers of the Week since the inception of the weekly award in 2003-04.

Cuonzo Martin's seventh-seeded. Bears open the MVC Tournament on Thursday at 8:35 p.m. against 10th-seeded Evansville at Scottrade Center in St. Louis.