MVC Women's Basketball WEEKLY NOTEBOOK - JAN. 9, 2024

MVC WBB Media Guide
MVC Notebook (PDF)
MVC Composite Schedule
MVC Stats
Non-Conference: 58-63 • Home: 35-18 • Away: 16-37 • Neutral: 7-8 • Top-25: 0-9

Four league women’s basketball teams are 3-0 in league play - that’s the first time since at least 2001-02 four teams have been perfect in the MVC after their first three contests.Murray State has won nine-straight games. The streak is tied for eighth-best in the NCAA (through games of Jan. 7).

Quick Starts Crucial - Since 1982-83, just three teams (Missouri State, champions in 1998-99, 1994-95 and 1990-91; Drake, champions in 1996-97 and co-champions in 1987-88; and Evansville, a 2007-08 co-champion) have won at least a share of the regular season title without winning its regular-season opener. In fact, 18 of the last 24 regular-season champs (or co-champs) have opened 2-0 or better in MVC play, with Evansville in 2007-08, Illinois State in 2022-23, Missouri State in 2004-05 and 2011-12 and UNI in 2010-11 and 2015-16, serving as the only six exceptions.

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 (71) leads five MVC teams that rank in the Top 127 of the NCAA NET rankings (through games of Jan. 7). Drake (74) and Murray State (85) also represent the Conference in the Top 100. UNI has played the league’s toughest non-conference slate as the Panthers’ non-conference SOS ranks No. 5 nationally. Three other league teams have played Top 70 non-league slates: Belmont (44 non-conference SOS); Drake (57), and Illinois State (69). Murray State’s 10-2 start has been forged with against an admirable SOS of 125.

Mid-Major Top 25 -Drake and Belmont continue to appear in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 (Jan. 2). Drake sits No. 11 in this week’s poll, while Belmont comes in at No. 15. Illinois State, Missouri State and Murray State are also receiving votes this week.

NCAA Leaders

Updated NCAA Stats
Murray State leads the MVC and ranks second nationally in scoring (93.9 PPG). The Racers trail only LSU (94.2 PPG). The MVC single-season record was established in 1994-95 by Drake (83.5).
The Valley has three teams ranking among the top 30 nationally in assists per game. Drake currently leads The Valley and ranks 12th nationally, averaging 19.1 assists per contest.
Murray State continues to lead the nation in scoring from its bench, averaging 42.8 points from its non-starters. Four MVC teams rank in the Top 75.
Drake leads the league and ranks 11th nationally in field goal percentage, connecting on 49.1 percent of its shots from the floor. Five league teams rank among the Top 100 nationally. Drake also leads the league (and ranks 10th nationally) in free throw percentage (79.7). UNI’s Maya McDermott is the NCAA leader in FT percentage (93.9).

HerHOOPSTATS.COM STat of the week

According to HerHoopStats.com’s Calvin Wetzel (@cwetzel31), Missouri State is only one of two teams in the country allowing under 8 offensive rebounds per games and under 10 assists per game.

MVC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Pena led the Racers in points per game through the week with 16.5 ppg. She had a field goal percentage of .647 and .615 from beyond the three-point line. She posted 19 points and four rebounds against Illinois State while shooting 6-9 from the floor and 5-8 from beyond the three-point line. She also posted 14 points against Bradley while shooting 5-8 from the floor and 3-5 from range. She moved up tied for fifth in the nation in three-point percentage with 50%.
Lacy Stokes helped lead Missouri State to victories over Valparaiso and UIC as the Lady Bears remained undefeated in MVC play. She averaged 8.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in MSU’s two wins, while dishing out a team-leading nine assists (4.5/game) and collecting a team-high six steals (3.0/game) on the week. Stokes owned a 3.0 assist-to-turnover ratio and went a combined 7-for-9 from the charity stripe. In Thursday night’s win against Valparaiso, she scored 11 points, pulled down a season-high seven rebounds and dished out a game-high five assists. Stokes also added a steal and went 5-for-7 from the free throw line versus the Beacons. In Saturday afternoon’s victory over UIC, Stokes scored six points and grabbed four rebounds while tallying four assists and tying her season high with a game-high five steals. She also went 2-for-2 at the free throw line, both coming in a crucial fourth quarter as MSU went on to win by just one point. She also helped anchor a Missouri State defense that held both Valpo and UIC to 50 points or less as MSU extended its current win streak to six games. Stokes ranks 2nd in the MVC and 62nd nationally with a 2.2 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Jailyn Banks continued her remarkable start to her collegiate career this past week, averaging 16 points on 52.4 percent (11-of-21) shooting. Going 8-for-10 at the free-throw line and 2-for-5 from beyond the arc, Banks helped lead Belmont to a 2-0 week with home victories over Illinois State and Bradley. She also averaged 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in the two triumphs. In the Bruins’ 64-52 win over the fellow defending MVC regular season champion Redbirds Thursday night, Banks poured in 16 points on 6-for-12 shooting and tallied four rebounds, three assists and a steal. On Saturday in Belmont’s 89-47 rout of the Braves, Banks scored a game-high 16 points for the third-straight outing. Connecting on her lone three-point attempt, Banks went 5-for-9 from the floor and was 5-for-6 at the foul line, while adding four rebounds and a trio of assists once again.

Belmont Bruins

  • In just their second year in the league, the Bruins are off to a 3-0 start in MVC play. Belmont’s 42-point home win over Bradley Saturday afternoon at the Curb Event Center is the Bruins’ largest margin of victory since drubbing Southern Illinois by 56 (101-45) on Jan. 22, 2023. Belmont scored 29 points in the fourth quarter versus the Braves, the Bruins’ highest point total in any quarter this season.
  • On Saturday, head coach Bart Brooks earned his 100th career conference win in only 112 league games. He is 100-12 (.893) in conference games in just over six seasons. Belmont has given up no more than 61 points in its three Valley outings. The Bruins have held nine of their 14 opponents this season under 65 points and kept six teams under 60 points. Redshirt junior guard Tuti Jones has distributed at least four assists in 11 of her 14 games this season.
BEL WBB Website

BRADLEY Braves

  • The Braves saw two road losses this weekend against Murray State on Thursday (99-52) and Belmont on Saturday (89-47).
  • Against the RacersThe Braves were led on offense by Junior Alex Rouse and Freshman Armoni "Moni" Strozier, who both scored 11 points. All the Braves were grabbing boards, with 10 different Braves grabbing a rebound. The Braves ended the game with 34 rebounds, 10 offensive. Bradley had double the second chance points than the Racers, scoring 12 points off second chance attempts. 
  • Against the Bruins, freshman Halli Poock played the most minutes for the Braves, playing 29 minutes without starting. Poock spread herself across the scoresheet, leading the team with 14 points, tied for third in rebounds with three and tied for second in assists with one. Freshman Claire McDougall had a huge impact, only playing 20 minutes yet scoring eight, the second most points. McDougall led the Braves in rebounds with eight and was tied for the lead in assists with three.
BRAD WBB Website

DRAKE Bulldogs

  • The Bulldogs kept their hot streak going with a pair of MVC victories over the weekend to stretch their winning stint to four games after dominating Indiana State 77-47 (1/4) and taking care of Evansville 78-68 (1/6). The Bulldogs improved to 3-0 in Valley play for their best league start in five years. Drake benefitted from back-to-back games with a double-double as Courtney Becker posted 11 points and 10 rebounds against the Sycamores and Katie Dinnebier followed with 17 points and 11 assists vs. Evansville. The Bulldogs will test their undefeated conference record this weekend as they travel to Valparaiso on Jan. 12 and UIC on Jan. 14.
Drake WBB Website

EVANSVILLE Purple Aces

  • In opening conference play, Evansville had its third best game at the line against the Indiana State Sycamores. The Aces went 24 of 29 from free throw range for a 82.8% average. UE is now up to a season free throw shooting average of 72.9%.
  • The Aces will get their longest conference geographically out of the way early in the first full week of conference action. UE heads to Iowa for a midweek matchup with Northern Iowa and then a Saturday game at Drake. Evansville will travel a combined 1,042 miles over three days.
UE WBB Website

UIC Flames

  • The Flames found themselves with a one victory and one loss on the road against MVC opponents Southern Illinois (W66-59) on Thursday and Missouri State (L51-50) on Saturday.
  • UIC picks up its second-ever road win at Southern Illinois and first since the 1979-80 season, when the Flames defeated the Salukis, 68-63 in double overtime in Carbondale. Green collected season highs in points (23), field goals made (8), free throws made (7) and rebounds (9) in the victory. After her 13-point performance, Williams has now scored in double figures in 10 games for the Flames this season. She has also reached double figures in UIC's last seven games. The Flames continue to lead the MVC in total rebounds (511), adding another 45 rebounds in Thursday's win. Young had a team-high three steals on Thursday and has 22 for the season, one of four Flames with at least 20 steals this year (all of whom rank among the top 20 in the MVC in that category). As a team, UIC ranks third in The Valley with 10.23 steals per game.
  • Against the Ladybears the Flames went 8-for-11 from the free throw line, with McCloud making the biggest contribution, finishing 7-for-10 from the charity stripe. The senior has made 28 free throws this season, the third-highest on the team. After collecting two steals in the game, Rimmer leads the Flames this season with 29, putting her fourth in the Valley. Williams' 13-point performance extended her streak of scoring in double-figures to eight in a row. She ranks 12th in the MVC in scoring this season at 12.8 points per game. This is the 12th game this season the Flames have outrebounded their opponent, beating the Bears on the glass, 41-31. UIC has also yet to be outrebounded by an MVC opponent this season.
UIC WBB Website

ILLINOIS STATE Redbirds

  • The Redbirds saw two road losses this weekend against Belmont on Thursday (64-52) and Murray State on Saturday (90-55).
  • Against the Bruins Wong has scored in double figures in four straight games for the first time in her career. She is averaging 16.5 points over that stretch. Bullman grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds, her sixth performance of the year with double-figure boards. She also had three blocks, which all came in the first half. Bullman has five games this season with 3-plus blocks. Illinois State shot a season-low 22.2 percent (6-for-27) from behind the arc and shot below 40 percent (33.3%) from the field for the first time this season.
  • Against the Racers, it was Wilson's 8th game this season in double figures and her fourth over the last five games. The 35-point loss is Illinois State's worst in MVC play since a 104-62 loss at Drake in February of 2022. Maya Wong (4) and Shannon Dowell (3) each saw their double-figure scoring streaks end on Saturday. After shooting below 40 percent from the field for the first time this season Thursday at Belmont, Illinois State shot 33.3 percent against the Racers.
ISU WBB Website

INDIANA STATE Sycamores

  • Home Sweet Home
  • Indiana State returns to the confines of Hulman Center for the first time in more than a month Thursday when it faces Murray State. The Sycamores have played their last five games on the road, while nine of Indiana State’s last 10 games have come away from home. Indiana State’s three home games thus far are tied for the second-fewest in the conference at this stage, with only Valparaiso (two) and UIC (three) playing three or fewer home games at this point of the season.
  • Letting It Fly
  • Indiana State 3-point shooting woes have been well-documented this season, but the Sycamores found plenty of success from behind the arc in their last game at Northern Iowa. The Trees knocked down 10 treys against the Panthers, tying a season high, while shooting a season-best 52.6 percent from distance. Seven different Sycamores knocked down at least one 3-pointer against UNI, with Asia Donald (two) and Bella Finnegan (three) both connecting from distance on multiple occasions.
ISU WBB Website

MISSOURI STATE Bears

  • Missouri State women’s basketball is coming off an undefeated six-game home stand following victories over Valparaiso and UIC last weekend. The Lady Bears hit the road for the first time since Dec. 6 as they prepare to face Bradley and Illinois State.
  • MSU extended its home win streak to 10 games, dating back to last season with the Lady Bears’ last home loss coming on Feb. 19, 2023. The Lady Bears have won 16 of their last 17 at home and are 19-4 under head coach Beth Cunningham on their home floor.
  • Missouri State improved to 5-0 this season in games decided by five points or less with a one-point victory over UIC on Saturday. The Lady Bears have won four of their last five games by a combined five points.
MSU WBB Website

Murray State Racers

  • The Murray State Women's Basketball Team extends their winning streak to eight in their win 99-52 win over Bradley, Thursday. Head Coach Rechelle Turner grabs her 100th career-victory with the win and the Racers improve their record to 9-2 (2-0 in conference play).
  • Murray State starts the season with two consecutive wins and remains the winningest team in the Missouri Valley Conference.
  • The Murray State Women's Basketball Team grabs third conference win with a 90-55 win over Illinois State, Saturday. The Racers extends their winning streak to eight with the win and remains unbeaten at home (6-0).
  • The game started with a back and forth battle that ended in a 17-15 first quarter. MSU switched up a gear in the second quarter by outscoring the Redbirds 31-4 to take the 48-19 advantage in the halftime break.
  • The Racers remain dominant in the third (21-19) and fourth (21-17) quarters to clinch the game.
  • Head Coach Rochelle Turner reached her 100th career milestone with the win against Bradley. She is only the second coach to have won 100 games with the program and has the second most wins in Murray State history just behind Rob Cross.
MSU WBB Website

UNI Panthers

  • Guard Maya McDermott is coming off a 30-point weekend in the Panthers' two victories. She is now just 40 points away from being the 27th member of UNI women's basketball's 1,000-point club.
  • The Panthers continue to lead the Missouri Valley Conference with a league-low 12.2 turnovers per game. The mark is also ranked 14th nationally. Guard Maya McDermott leads the MVC and is 12th nationally with three assists per turnover this season.
UNI WBB Website

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS Salukis

  • The Salukis got back on track on Saturday, defeating Valpo, 75-66, with one of the biggest reasons why being the team's free throw shooting. Southern Illinois shot 26-of-29 at the charity stripe for a percentage of 89.7%, a new season-high. The 26 free throws made are the most since Dec. 29, 2022, last season at Evansville, where SIU hit 28 free throws, but did so in 38 attempts.
SIU WBB Website

VALPARAISO Beacons

  • Senior Leah Earnest surpassed the 500-rebound milestone for her collegiate career with her seventh rebound Thursday at Missouri State. Earnest became the 19th player in program history to tally at least 500 rebounds in the Valpo uniform.
  • Redshirt sophomore Ella Van Weelden entered the fourth quarter of Saturday's game at Southern Illinois with just seven career 3-pointers to her credit and a career high of nine points. She helped spearhead Valpo's attempted rally in the final period against the Salukis as the Beacons got as close as seven after trailing by 21, connecting on four triples in the fourth quarter for a career-best 12 points.
VALPO WBB Website