The Women's Basketball season is passed its halfway point with Drake continuing their lead in the rankings with an 11-1 record over Belmont's 10-2 & Missouri State's 9-3 conference records.
National Leaders -UNI’s Maya McDermott leads the nation in free throw percentage. Three other MVC student-athletes are in the Top 75, including Murray State’s Katelyn Young (22nd, 88.4), Drake’s Katie Dinnebier (27th, 87.9), and Illinois State’s Maya Wong (72nd, 83.7).
NCAA Leaders, Free Throw Percentage: 1. Maya McDermott, UNI 52-54 96.3; 2. Mara Braun, Minnesota (Big Ten) 57-60 95.0 ; 3. Hayley Frank, Missouri (SEC) 62-67 92.5 ; 3. Maaliya Owens, Tennessee Tech (OVC) 62-67 92.5 ; 22. Katelyn Young, Murray State 76-86 88.4 ; 27. Katie Dinnebier, Drake 131-149 87.9 ; 72. Maya Wong, Illinois State 87-104 83.7.
MVC in the Non-Con - The Valley finished the non-conference portion of the schedule at 58-63, which included four wins over Power Five programs. Belmont was dominant, beating Georgia 76-50, Drake handled Iowa State 85-73, Belmont beat Northwestern 83-61, and Missouri State beat BYU 56-55.
In The Net - Belmont (70) leads six MVC teams that rank in the Top 117 of the NCAA NET rankings (through games of Feb. 11). Drake (71), Murray State (103), UNI (106), Missouri State (114), and Illinois State (117) are in the Top 117.
Mid-Major Top 25 -Drake and Belmont continue to appear in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 (Feb. 6). Drake sits No. 11 in last week’s poll, while Belmont at No. 6, while Missouri State enters the rankings at 23rd. Illinois State (7) also received votes this week.
1000-Point Scorers - 10 Active MVC players to eclipse 1,000 career points (through 2/11/2024).
Career Leaders -- Total Points*
- Katelyn Young, Murray St. 2,073
- Grace Berg, Drake 1,720
- Chelsea Cain, Indiana State 1,429
- DeAnna Wilson, Illinois St. 1,379
- Jaida McCloud, UIC 1,253
- Olivia Brown, Valparaiso 1,123
- Grace Boffeli, UNI 1,095
- Maya McDermott, UNI 1,094
- Katie Dinnebier, Drake 1,088
- Hannah McKay, Murray St. 1,063
- Emerson Green, UNI 999
- *includes games at previous schools
Warren Ties All-Time Record - UNI’s Tanya Warren has tied Cheryl Burnett (Missouri State) with 201 conference wins in her tenure in the MVC to match the league’s record. Warren also ranks third all-time in MVC women’s history with 315 total wins.
Coaching Wins, MVC Games Only
- 201 -- Tanya Warren, UNI (2008-present)
- 201 -- Cheryl Burnett, Missouri State (1988-02)
- 199 -- Cindy Scott, Southern Illinois (1983-98)
- 170 -- Jill Hutchison, Illinois State (1983-99)
It’s a Steal - Katie Dinnebier of Drake leads four MVC student-athletes who rank in the Top 100 of the NCAA in steals per game. Dinnebier has 2.61 to lead the MVC and rank No. 27 nationally. Southern Illinois leads the league and ranks 7th in the NCAA with 12.1 steals per game, leading four MVC schools in the Top 100 of that category. Two Salukis are among the league’s top three in individual steals.
NCAA LEADERS
HERHOOPSTATS.COM STAT OF THE WEEK
According to HerHoopStats.com’s Calvin Wetzel (@cwetzel31), Nevaeh Thomas was the first freshman in the country this year with at least 20 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 blocks.
MVC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Belmont Bruins
- The Bruins earned their first regular season sweep of the year Sunday afternoon with a 65-55 win at Southern Illinois. Belmont defeated the Salukis 72-64 on Jan. 28 in Nashville.
- The Bruins are 6-4 in true road games this season and have gone 7-5 away from the Music City.
- Last Friday night in Springfield, Missouri, Missouri State defeated Belmont 73-54. The Lady Bears joined No. 5 Ohio State, No. 6 Stanford and Missouri as the only teams who have been able to surpass 70 points against the Bruins in 2023-24.
- Belmont has held opponents under 65 points 15 times this season and kept teams under 60 points on 11 occasions.
- Leading the Valley in both scoring (60.6 PPG) and field goal percentage (38.2) defense, the Bruins are limiting opponents to 57.8 points per game through 12 MVC contests. Belmont has held its opponent under 60 points in seven of 12 MVC games.
- Redshirt junior guard Tuti Jones has scored 904 career points. She needs just 96 more points to become the Bruins’ 35th 1,000-point scorer.
- Jones is second in Belmont’s NCAA era in career steals with 219, ranking behind only Tara Montgomery (244).
- Banks has scored in double figures in 17 of her first 23 games.
- Junior forward Tessa Miller has also reached double figures in 17 of 23 games this season.
Bradley Braves
The Braves saw 2 road losses in Iowa this weekend at Drake (71-60) and UNI (96-61).
The Braves and Bulldogs were tied in field goal percentage, both shooting 43% in the game. The Braves were ahead of Drake at the three-point arc however, shooting 36% from three compared to the Bulldog's 29% from the arc. The Braves made nine threes compared to the Bulldogs six. Bradley had more bench points than Drake, scoring 13. Senior Ruba Abo Hashesh led the Braves in steals, snagging three of the eight on the team. As a team, Bradley went perfect on layups, scoring seven of seven. The offense was led by Freshman Halli Poock, who scored 17 points for Bradley. The Braves kept it close the entire game, going into halftime down 35-29. However, Bradley experienced some foul constrictions, which led to a tight finish. The Bulldogs were able to pull away at the very end and take the win.
Against the Panthers, the Braves continuously relied on the paint to score, scoring 36 of their points in the paint. Freshman Halli Poock had another great performance, leading the team in points, scoring 17, as well as assists, dishing out three. Poock was second in rebounding with four. All three's scored for the Braves were made by Senior Ruba Abo Hashesh. Abo Hashesh was second on the team in scoring, getting eight points.
Drake Bulldogs
The Bulldogs enacted revenge over the weekend as Drake hosted Bradley (2/8) and Illinois State (2/10) in the Knapp Center. The Bulldogs took down the Braves before posting a convincing W against Illinois State in the program’s annual Pink Game. Several individuals stood out for Drake including Grace Berg with a 28-point outing vs. the Redbirds and a double-double against the Braves. Forward Anna Miller logged two-straight double-doubles over the weekend while her frontcourt mate Courtney Becker had one. Drake grabbed a firm hold of the top spot in The Valley as they now lead the league at 11-1.
Evansville Aces
Skid Snapped - On Sunday afternoon the Purple Aces snapped their 13-game losing streak in a wire-to-wire contest at Valparaiso. UE's first conference win was thanks to the team's dominance in the paint, outscoring the Beacons 42-32 in that area of the floor. Evansville will look to start its first win streak of the season against SIU on Thursday.
Back-to-Back - Nevaeh Thomas has found her groove for the Aces, earning back-to-back double-doubles over the weekend. Thomas has steadily improved her performance under the glass since returning from injury in mid-January, setting a new career-high for rebounds on Sunday with 14. Thomas now has three double-doubles on the season to lead the Valley along with UNI's Grace Boffeli and Drake's Anna Miller.
uic flames
UIC saw two home wins this weekend against Evansville (65-57) and Indiana State (68-53).
Against the Aces, McCloud is now top-ten for scoring, as her nine points put her career total at 1,241 points, surpassing LeKesha Williams (1999-03, 1,225 points). Young's two assists Friday evening moves her one assist away from being sixth all-time. She currently sits behind Tasia Georganas (1989-93, 386 assists). Rimmer now has a team-leading four double-doubles this season.
Against the Sycamores, Middleton nearly played a perfect game offensively, missing only one shot. The veteran guard went 4-for-5 from the field, 2-for-2 on threes, and 8-for-8 from the charity stripe. Sunday's game was closely contested, as the score was tied eight times with seven lead changes. UIC outscored Indiana State in three of the four quarters, highlighted by a 20-5 fourth quarter, led by Middleton (nine points). It was the second massive quarter difference against the Sycamores this year — UIC outscored ISU, 30-6 in the third quarter of their game in Terre Haute on Jan. 28.
Illinois state redbirds
The Redbirds saw 2 road losses this weekend in Iowa against UNI (74-47) and Drake (79-64).
Against the Panthers, the Redbirds went 9-for-9 at the charity stripe, the first time this year the Redbirds have hit all of their free throws in a single game. It was just the second time this year the Redbirds finished a single game with fewer than five threes. Illinois State went 4-for-27 from deep in the loss for a season-low 14.8 percent. From the field, Illinois State shot a season-low 27.9 percent and scored a season-low 47 points.
Against the Bulldogs, Illinois State has shot 80 percent or better from the free throw line in five of their last six games. The Redbirds were 8-for-9 at the charity stripe on Saturday. After Lenz scored 13 points at Drake, each member of Illinois State's freshman class has now reached double figures at least once this season. Shannon Dowell leads the Redbird rookies with 9 double-figure outings.
Indiana state sycamores
Chelsea Cain and Ella Sawyer were both on triple-double watch, as Cain had 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists, while Sawyer had eight points, eight rebounds and six assists. Asia Donald had eight points in 11 minutes playing in front of her home crowd. Donald was a star at nearby Hobart (Ind.) HS, where she led the IHSAA in scoring last year. Indiana State's 23 bench points Friday night was the Sycamores' most in a win this season. The Sycamores have continued to find success from behind the arc in conference play, knocking down 43.8 percent (7-for-16) of their 3-point attempts Friday. Conversely, Indiana State's 3-point defense limited Valpo, who led the MVC in 3-pointers entering Friday's game, to a 29.0 percent clip from deep. Kiley Bess registered a career-best six steals in Friday's win, the most in a game by a Sycamore this season. Keslyn Secrist earned her first career start in Friday's game, finishing with five points, three rebounds and one assist in 13 minutes. Indiana State swept the season series with Valpo this season, and has won each of the last three games at Valpo in the all-time series. The Sycamores are 6-1 all-time at Valparaiso. Indiana State wore its alternate gray uniforms for just the second time this season, and the Sycamores picked up their first win this season when wearing gray.
Ella Sawyer's double-double was the first of her collegiate career, and her 12 rebounds were also a career-high. Sawyer also set a new ISU-high of 13 points Sunday. Indiana State was plus-1 (34-33) in rebound margin, and converted 10 offensive rebounds into nine second-chance points. Indiana State shot 80 percent from the charity stripe Sunday (16-for-20), marking the fifth consecutive game that the Sycamores shot 80 percent or better from the line. The Sycamores are 74-for-87 (85.1 percent) on free throws during that stretch. Lily Niebuhr played a season-high 21 minutes Sunday, finishing with four points, two rebounds and an assist. Savannah White scored a career-high seven points Sunday, including knocking down her second 3-pointer of the season. Foul trouble played a significant role Sunday, as five different Sycamores had at least three fouls. Indiana State was whistled for 24 fouls compared to just 15 for UIC.
Missouri state Ladybears
- After finishing last season ranked 251st nationally in three-point percentage (.292), the Lady Bears have found success from behind the arc this season. Missouri State currently ranks 32nd nationally and first in The Valley, shooting at a .357 (120-336) clip from three-point range.
- Missouri State now has three players averaging in double figures this season in Lacy Stokes (10.8), Kennedy Taylor (10.7) and Kyrah Daniels (10.0). Stokes also leads MSU with 100 assists and 40 steals on the year, while Taylor owns a team-leading 21 blocked shots. Meanwhile, Daniels leads the team in three-point percentage of those who have at least five attempts (.410) and in three-point field goals (32).
- The Lady Bears kick off a three-game road swing this weekend with matchups against Indiana State and Evansville. Missouri State is coming off a weekend split that saw the Lady Bears defeat Belmont in dominant fashion, before falling in a shootout against Murray State that snapped the Lady Bears’ 13-game home win streak.
Murray state Racers
- Murray State women's basketball takes 81-74 win at Southern Illinois to get back on the win column, Friday.
- The Racers benefited from a big first quarter where they outscored the Salukis 22-7 to give them the edge through competitive second through fourth quarters.
- MSU have won both their meetings with the SIU this season and have moved up to fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference standings with a 7-4 record.
- Haven Ford Finding her Footing - Haven Ford renews her career-high again with 27 points. She made seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals along with the points. Ford's performance is the second-highest pointing game by a freshman in the MVC this season.
- Kate the Great - Katelyn Young made her seventh double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
- At Missouri State
- Murray State women's basketball makes it two wins in a row with a 95-89 win at Missouri State, Sunday. This is Missouri State's first home loss of the season.
- In a high-scoring contest, the Racers took advantage made a 16-0 run in the fourth quarter to break the deadlock.
- BSW Show - Bria Sanders-Woods has a career-high performance of 29 points. She shot 9-15 from the floor and 5-9 from three-point range. Her previous game-high in points was 19.
- We Over Me - Six Racers post double-figure points. Sanders-Woods (29), Hannah McKay (14), Katelyn Young (13), Haven Ford (12), Briley Pena (11) and Ava Learn (10).
northern iowa panthers
- Tanya Warren tied the Valley's league-wins record with her 201st victory against Bradley. Her next Valley win will set a new conference record.
- Maya McDermott leads the nation in both free throw percentage (96.3%) and assist/turnover ratio (3.45).
Southern Illinois Salukis
The Salukis forced 27 turnovers on Sunday vs. Belmont, marking the 13th time this season where SIU has forced at least 20 turnovers in a single game. Southern Illinois leads the Valley and is 17th nationally in turnovers forced-per-game at 20.86. Southern Illinois had 15 steals in its loss to Belmont on Sunday. The team has had double-digit steals in three consecutive games and in 16 games total this season. The Salukis are seventh in the country in steals-per-game (12.1), and have three players that are top five in the MVC in steals-per-game. Mason is first at 2.9, followed by Quierra Love and Laniah Randle who are tied for third at 2.2.
Valparaiso beacons
Valpo's Leah Earnest has scored in double figures 19 times this year after scoring 16 points against Indiana State and 17 points against Evansville. She also totaled 20 rebounds over the two games, pushing her career total to 576 rebounds - 14th-most in program history. Valpo freshman Layla Gold totaled 10 blocks over last weekend's pair of games, including a six-block game against Evansville - tied for fourth-most in a single game in program history. Gold also registered four steals versus the Purple Aces, making her the only D-I freshman this year with at least six blocks and four steals in the same game.