With three and a half weeks left of the conference season Drake pulls ahead of Belmont with a two game lead in conference play.
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, 88.1), Drake’s Katie Dinnebier (25th, 87.7), and Illinois State’s Maya Wong (61st, 84.6). Drake’s 78.8 percentage from the line as a team ranks 10th-best nationally.
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 - Drake (70) leads six MVC teams that rank in the Top 116 of the NCAA NET rankings (through games of Feb. 17). Belmont (71), UNI (105), Murray State (106), Missouri State (114), and Illinois State (116) are in the Top 116.
Select Company - Katie Dinnebier of Drake is one of just three NCAA Division I women’s basketball players to average better than 6.0 assists and 2.5 steals per game. She’s the only player to average better than 10.0 points (19.0), 6.0 assists (6.7) and 2.5 assists (2.5). Jaidynn Mason of Southern Illinois leads five MVC student-athletes who rank in the Top 100 of the NCAA in steals per game. Mason has 2.72 to lead the MVC and rank No. 24 nationally. Southern Illinois leads the league and ranks ninth in the NCAA with 11.8 steals per game, leading four MVC schools in the Top 100 in SPG.
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 State 2,116
- Grace Berg, Drake 1,744
- Chelsea Cain, Indiana State 1,443
- DeAnna Wilson, Illinois State 1,412
- Jaida McCloud, UIC 1,271
- Maya McDermott, UNI 1,145
- Katie Dinnebier, Drake 1,135
- Olivia Brown, Valparaiso 1,130
- Grace Boffeli, UNI 1,129
- Hannah McKay, Murray State 1,079
- Emerson Green, UNI 999
- *includes games at previous schools
Warren Ties All-Time Record - UNI’s Tanya Warren has passed Cheryl Burnett (Missouri State) with 202 conference wins in her tenure in the MVC to match the league’s all-time record. The 18-point comeback victory to clinch victory No. 202 was the largest comeback for UNI in the Tanya Warren era.
Coaching Wins, MVC Games Only
- 202 -- 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)
Becky Hammon Update - Drake’s Katie Dinnebier has been named a Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Semifinalist. She is one of 10 semifinalists for the 2024 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award.
NCAA LEADERS
HERHOOPSTATS.COM STAT OF THE WEEK
According to HerHoopStats.com’s Calvin Wetzel (@cwetzel31), Laniah Randle is the first MVC Player in at least 15 years with back to back 32-points & 5 rebounds.
MVC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Belmont Bruins
- Drake snapped Belmont’s nine-game home winning streak late Saturday afternoon with a 77-71 triumph inside the Curb Event Center.
- The Bruins entered the weekend 11-1 at home this season.
- The Bulldogs joined Northern Iowa, Missouri State, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Stanford and Missouri as the only teams who have scored more than 70 points against Belmont this season.
- Saturday’s loss to the Bulldogs was only the Bruins’ sixth at home in conference play under head coach Bart Brooks (56-6).
- Coach Brooks is 108-15 (.878) in conference play in seven seasons.
- Belmont is 168-35 (.828) in conference action since the 2012-13 season.
- The Bruins are 91-15 (.858) in the two key months of February and March since 2016.
- Miller has reached double figures in 19 of 25 games this season and tallied at least three assists on 14 occasions.
- Redshirt junior guard Tuti Jones is only 74 points away from becoming Belmont’s 35th 1,000-point scorer. She has distributed at least four assists in 17 of 25 games this season and is second in the Bruins’ NCAA era in career steals (223).
Bradley Braves
The Braves saw 2 road losses this weekend at Valparaiso (68-50) and UIC (68-47).
Bradley held UIC to 20% from the three-point arc in the first quarter. Six different Braves drained a bucket to help get the score to 20. The Braves dished out seven assists in the first 10 minutes, with Junior Alex Rouse leading the assist charge at three. Bradley shot 53.8% from the field in the first quarter. The Braves ended the first quarter on top of the Flames, 20-18. Senior Isis Fitch kept draining shots, making 3-3 to start the game. Bradley had a 5-1 run that spanned 2:14 minutes but was ended on a UIC free throw with a minute left in the half. The Braves kept on dishing out assists, entering the half with 11. Senior Ruba Abo Hashesh leads the way in assists, dishing out five in the first half. Bradley entered the second quarter trailing, 39-31. The Braves held the Flames to 0-7 from the three-point arc in the second half. Bradley shot perfectly at the line, making 11-11 of their free throws. Rouse led the way in points, scoring 11, as well as rebounds, grabbing eight. She was second in assists, dishing out four. The Braves fought hard, but in the end, they fell to the Flames.
The Braves held the Beacons to zero offensive rebounds in the first half. Senior Isis Fitch showed off her stamina, playing all 20 minutes of the first half. Fitch was tied for Bradley's lead in rebounds going into halftime with three. Freshman Halli Poock led in points, scoring eight. Poock went 2-2 from the three-point arc in the half. As a team, the Braves shot 33.3% from the arc and 100% from the free-throw line as they entered halftime. Junior Alex Rouse had a hot second half. She shot 4-5 on her last five shots, finishing the game scoring 10. Poock also shot 4-5 on her final five attempts. Poock finished the game with the most points for the Braves, scoring 18. Poock stayed strong from the arc, shooting 4-6 from three. Bradley shot strong in the third quarter, going 54.5% from the field, scoring a quarter high 16 points. Bradley finished the game still shooting 100% from the free-throw line, going 9-9.
Drake Bulldogs
The Bulldog women returned home from their southern road swing with a pair of pivotal victories in MVC play. Drake took down both Murray State (2/15) and Belmont (2/17) on the road to widen the gap at the top of the league standings. The Bulldogs were led by star guard Katie Dinnebier who poured in a career-high 32 points in the win over the Racers and followed that performance with her fourth double-double of the year in Drake’s victory over the Bruins. The Bulldogs have now won 20 games during the 2024-24 season, marking the third year in a row in which they’ve reached that threshold. Suzie Glazer Burt Head Coach Allison Pohlman has also become the only coach in program history to guide the team to at least 20 wins in their first three seasons.
Evansville Aces
The Aces saw one win and one loss this weekend against the Southern Illinois Salukis (93-86 OT) and Missouri State Ladybears (73-56).
After three close quarters battling with Missouri State, UE began to run out of gas, only scoring six points in the final 10 minutes. Guard Tené Smith had Evansville's first two points of the six at the line in the first minute and a half. But the Aces had a minute-and-a-half scoring spell broken by Thomas, who had the final four points of the game for UE. The Lady Bears ended the game on a six-point run handing Evansville the 73-56 loss. Three Aces players ended the afternoon in double figures led by Thomas with 19. Mason Striverson and Hartwig added 11 points each while Hartwig also had five rebounds. Three players also recorded two steals each as Thomas, Hartwig, and guard Lexie Sinclair forced turnovers from Missouri State.
UE kept its strong night behind the arc going as guard Julia Palomo hit an early three to give Evansville a four-point lead. The Salukis got a bucket at the line just moments after. But the Aces broke out on a five-point run for their largest lead of the game up by eight. SIU responded with a three-point play, but Smith answered with a three behind the line to regain the eight-point lead. The Salukis top player, Laniah Randle made seven straight points to get the game down to only three. UE was able to keep answering Randle from the floor. But SIU tied the game on a three with two minutes left on the clock, shortly taking the lead right after at the line. Evansville was able to answer in the final 30 seconds, tying the game up to go into the teams second overtime game of the season. The Aces offense was firing early in overtime, scoring eight points in the first three minutes. UE particularly benefited from drawing fouls while in the bonus, making all six of its free throws in overtime. The Salukis made the last two shots of the game, but Evansville grew its lead far enough early in the extra period to stay on top. The Aces earned their second straight Valley win in the 93-89 victory. Four UE players ended the game in double figures with Hartwig leading the way at 22 points. She also led Evansville in rebounds with 12 for her fifth double-double of the season. Sinclair was right behind Hartwig with a career-high 20 points and a career-high six assists. Forward Neveah Thomas pushed her double-figure scoring streak to ten games with 17 points in 31 minutes while Smith had a career-high 16 points.
uic flames
UIC saw one win and one loss on the road this weekend against Bradley (68-47) and Illinois State (61-64).
Thursday's contest was the first this season that Young hit two threes (2-3 3PT) in a game. UIC controlled the lead virtually the entire game, up until 16 seconds remained in the fourth quarter. The fourth quarter was the difference for the Flames, as ISU outscored them, 22-9.
Saturday's win completed the second consecutive regular season sweep against Bradley, with the Flames now 4-0 against the Braves since joining the MVC. It also marks the ninth time the Flames recorded 10+ steals in a game. UIC's 16 steals on Saturday is a high against a MVC opponent this year. UIC had 15 second-chance points, compared to Bradley's two. The Flames worked the paint, as Dempsey-Toney nabbed a career-high 11 rebounds.
Illinois state redbirds
The Redbirds saw 2 home wins this weekend against UIC (64-61) and Valparaiso (78-64).
Against the flames, Wilson finished with her 16th double figure outing of the season and her 10th in Valley play. She has finished in double figures in five of Illinois State's last six games. Illinois State shot 10-for-20 from behind the arc, the sixth time this season the Redbirds have finished with 10-plus threes in a single game. Illinois State improved to 6-1 this season against in-state foes. It was the program's 10th straight win over an in-state foe at CEFCU Arena. The Redbirds are 33-9 against in-state foes and 19-2 vs in-state foes inside CEFCU Arena since the start of the 2019-2020 campaign.
Against the Beacons Wilson scored her 24th career double-double, which is still good for fourth in program history. She is two double doubles shy of tying Marla Maupin for third in the Illinois State record books. Illinois State moved to 11-1 this season at home. This year marks the fourth time under Kristen Gillespie that Illinois State secured double-figure wins at home in a single season, joining the 2022-23 (11-3), 2019-20 (12-3) and 2018-19 (11-3) teams. The Redbirds finished 30-for-36 at the free throw line Saturday (83.3%). It is the fourth time over the last five games Illinois State has shot better than 80 percent from the free throw line in a single game. Illinois State finished with four-plus double figure scorers for the 11th time this season. The Redbirds are 10-1 when doing so this season.
Indiana state sycamores
The Sycamores saw two home losses this weekend to Southern Illinois (80-70) and Missouri State (59-51).
Indiana State presented Ella Sawyer with its annual Brenda Howell Spirit Award before Thursday's game. The award is annually given to an Indiana State women's basketball student-athlete who best exemplifies the traits of spirit, determination and positive attitude. Kiley Bess had her best game against a conference foe this season, with her 17 points, six field goals and three 3-pointers all representing her most against an MVC opponent, and her seven rebounds being a career-best mark. Indiana State's defense put together a gutsy effort, holding Missouri State to just 59 points despite the Lady Bears entering Thursday's game averaging 69.5 points per game overall and 73.8 points per game against conference foes. Indiana State was plus-seven in the 22:45 that Ella Sawyer played before fouling out. The Sycamores didn't take many 3-pointers, but made the most of their opportunities from distance, hitting on 45.5 percent of their attempts from behind the arc. Keslyn Secrist tied her career high of three rebounds that she set last week at Valparaiso, despite playing just 10:30 Thursday. Indiana State registered its sixth game this season with five or more blocks, with Mya Glanton and Bella Finnegan both recording multiple rejections Thursday. Turnovers proved costly for Indiana State, which had 20 in the contest.
Ella Sawyer's 12 assists were her most in a game in her collegiate career. Sawyer finished one point and three rebounds shy of a triple-double. Kiley Bess has averaged 18 points and six rebounds per game across Indiana State's first two games of the current homestand. Indiana State's 3-point defense continues to be strong, limiting Southern Illinois to 3-for-12 from behind the arc. The Sycamores were 6-for-18 from distance. Indiana State' 19 fastbreak points were its most in a conference game this season and the most for the Sycamores since having 22 against Radford on Nov. 23. Indiana State had a 19-4 advantage in bench points and a 16-15 advantage in points off turnovers. Southern Illinois' Laniah Randle scored a career-high 36 points Saturday.
Missouri state Ladybears
- The Lady Bears improved to 27-0 under head coach Beth Cunningham when allowing 65 points or less to opponents. MSU ranks second in The Valley this season in scoring defense, allowing just 64.2 points per game. That average drops to 62.4 points allowed per game in conference action.
- MSU is 14-1 this season when winning the battle on the boards, 15-2 when owning more assists than its opponents and is undefeated at 8-0 when knocking down more free throws than its competition.
- Missouri State heads into this week in a tie for second place in the MVC standings with Belmont. One of MSU’s two games this week includes a road contest at first-place Drake in the two teams’ only regular season meeting.
Murray state Racers
- Vs. Drake
- Murray State women's basketball takes their second home loss of the season to league leaders Drake, Thursday.
- MSU and Drake went on another high-scoring occasion where the visitors came out on top (81-75).
- The Racers got outscored 48-33 in the second half to give up a nine-point lead. They are 0-2 against the Bulldogs this season and 0-4 all-time.
- Double-Digit Divas
- Katelyn Young posted 20 points and 12 rebounds for her eighth double-double of the season. She averages 18.5 points per game.
- Zoe Stewart scored 17 points and posted four rebounds.
- Vs. Northern Iowa
- Murray State women's basketball fall short to Northern Iowa, Saturday. They lost 89-87 and are now tied at sixth in the Missouri Valley Conference standings with an 8-6 in conference play.
- The Racers led for 37 minutes and 28 seconds before dropping the lead falling behind in the final 24 seconds as they get outscored 29-15 on the fourth quarter.
- MSU came out fast as they outscored the UNI 26-13 in the first quarter. They kept the lead through close second (22-23) and third (24-24) quarters but fell short in the final stretch.
- Kate The Great - Katelyn Young posted 23 points and 11 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the season. She is third in the conference in points per game while averaging 18.7.
- Bria Sanders-Woods (17) and Zoe Stewart (11) also have double-digit points.
- What's Next? - Murray State will travel to UIC to break the sixth-place tie, Thursday.
northern iowa panthers
- Tanya Warren became the Valley's all-time wins leader in conference games after the 89-87 comeback victory over Murray State. The 18-point comeback was the largest comeback in the Tanya Warren era.
- Maya McDermott set a new career-high in points with 36 points against the Racers. That mark ties the high for the Valley in any game played this season.
- Grace Boffeli moved up on UNI's all-time rebounding list. Her seven rebounds today helped her pass Tami Schebler (1980-84) for the no. 4 spot. She sits with 790 career rebounds and is two short of the no. 3 spot occupied by Bre Gunnels (2017-22) with 792 career rebounds.
Southern Illinois Salukis
SIU got back-on-track on Saturday, snapping a six-game losing skid with an 80-70 win at Indiana State behind Laniah Randle's 36 points. Over the two-game week, the Saluki offense scored over 80 points in both games, marking the first time this season that Southern has done this in back-to-back games. SIU averaged 84.5 points per game during the week. Laniah Randle was the story for Southern this past week, scoring 32 points on Thursday at Evansville and 36 points on Saturday at Indiana State. Both set new career-highs, with the 36 points being tied for the most in the conference this season. The junior's Saturday performance ranks third in the all-time scoring charts in a single game in program history.
Valparaiso beacons
Valpo never trailed on Thursday in its win at Bradley, shooting 81.8% in the first quarter on its way to the win. It marked the Beacons' third consecutive season sweep of the Braves and was Valpo's third road win in a row. The Beacons have handled the basketball much better of late, and that stood out again last weekend, as they committed just 14 turnovers at Bradley before turning it over a season-low 11 times at Illinois State. After committing 20.4 turnovers/game over the season’s first 14 games, the Beacons have committed just 14.6 turnovers/game over the last nine outings.