The opening weekend in MVC women's basketball was filled with outstanding individual efforts from veterans and newcomers alike. Drake's Sara Rhine registered a double-double in two Bulldog victories over Nebraska and Western Illinois, en route to the league's first Player of the Week honor for 2018-19 and her fourth career award. Bradley freshman guard Lasha Petree made an immediate impact in her Braves debut, tallying 24 points and five rebounds, while shooting 55.6-percent from the field (10-of-18), to capture the conference's initial Newcomer of the Week honor.
Much like last season, again in 2018-19 the Missouri Valley Conference will release its players of the week on Mondays, with the full women's basketball notebook available on Tuesdays, beginning tomorrow (Nov. 13).
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Sara Rhine, Jr., F, Drake
Coming off the bench, Drake’s Sara Rhine recorded back-to-back double-doubles in the Bulldogs’ first two wins over Nebraska and Western Illinois. Rhine averaged 14.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 60.0 percent from the floor. She scored 11 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and handed out two assists in 24 minutes in the win over Nebraska. Rhine, the 2018 MVC Sixth Player of the Year, followed that with an even more impressive performance against the Leathernecks. She scored 18 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and had one assist in just 18 minutes in the easy win.
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK:
Lasha Petree, Fr., G, Bradley
Petree had a big impact off the bench in Bradley’s season-opening victory over Southeast Missouri State, scoring a team-high 24 points on 10-of-18 shooting in an 85-79 victory. She also had five rebounds, one block and one steal. After an 0-for-4 start from the field and a scoreless first quarter, Petree made six of her next seven shots and 10-of-14 down the stretch as she finished with 24 points for the most by a Bradley freshman in their debut. Bradley Hall of Fame member Judy Burns previously had the most points by a BU frosh in their debut with 23 points vs. SIU Edwardsville on Nov. 20, 1981. Petree scored nine of her 24 points in the final 8:06 of the contest, giving Bradley a three-point advantage with a breakaway layup with 2:34 to play and her three-point play at the 1:31 mark made it a two-possession game at 83-77 in the eventual 85-79 Bradley victory.
Noteworthy - In addition to the league's player and newcomer of the week selections, several conference players had notable performances, and they include:
Simone Goods (ILS) - In Sunday’s 68-61 loss at SIUE, Goods was the driving force behind the Redbird offense. She got on the board early in the first quarter, scoring ISU’s first points of the game on a commanding and-one finish. By the second period, Goods could not be stopped, scoring 10 of Illinois State’s 17 points in that period. At the half, Goods had already tallied 15 points and secured eight rebounds. She continued to carry the team in the third period, scoring the first eight Redbird points of the second half. Goods would finish the contest with a game-high 25 points and 12 rebounds, capturing the fifth double-double of her career. Goods shot 57.1% from the floor, going 8-for-14. She was also a perfect 9-for-9 from the charity stripe, and tallied one assist, one steal, and one block in 33 minutes of play.
Regan Wentland (INS) - Senior Regan Wentland registered her first career double-double as Indiana State defeated Marshall, 62-53, to give Vicki Hall her first win as a head coach. Tying a career-high 13 rebounds, Wentland added 13 points to her tally as she shot 50 percent from the field, including 50 percent from three-point range. The senior forward added two assists and a steal to her tally while not committing a turnover.
Ellie Rice (LUC) - Loyola sophomore guard Ellie Rice chipped in 13 points as part of a 74-63 setback at Youngstown State this past Friday. Rice finished 6-of-10 from the field and 1-of-3 from beyond the three-point arc. The Austin, Texas native also dished out a team-best four assists, setting a new career high in the category. Rice is coming off a freshman campaign that saw her reach double figures in scoring 10 times.
Shameka Ealy (MSU) - Shameka Ealy scored 11 points and had a career-high nine rebounds in Saturday’s season opener, including seven offensive boards to rank sixth nationally through the first week of play. Ealy went 3-for-7 from beyond the arc and added one assist without a turnover in 28 minutes.
Makenzie Silvey (SIU) - Silvey poured in a career-high 29 points on 11-of-23 shooting to go along with five assists, two rebounds and a steal at UT Martin Friday night. The Glen Carbon, Ill. native’s 29 points were the most scored by a player in the Valley during the opening weekend of play and were the most scored by a Saluki since Rishonda Napier dropped in 33 points against Western Illinois on March 17, 2016. Her 29 points are tied for the fourth-most scored by an underclassmen in program history.
Meredith Hamlet (VALPO) - Hamlet led her team in scoring in both games over the opening week of the season, pouring in 19 points at UIC before turning in 15 against North Dakota. The Valpo senior knocked down 12 free throws against the Flames, establishing a single-game career high. In Sunday’s six-point loss, Hamlet was instrumental in a comeback effort late in the game as 12 of her team-high 15 points came in the fourth quarter. Hamlet’s strong week allowed her to climb into 16th on the program’s all-time scoring list.
Allie Wooldridge (DU) - Allie Wooldridge made her Drake debut in the victory over Western Illinois. Wooldridge played 12 minutes, scored seven points, grabbed two rebounds and handed out two assists.
Mary Crompton (ILS) - Making her collegiate debut, Crompton showed versatility in the Redbird’s 68-61 loss at SIUE on Sunday afternoon. She proved early on that she was a scoring threat, scoring her first basket in the first quarter on a beautiful euro-step move. As the game progressed, Crompton found her rhythm from behind the arc, sinking two threes and scoring eight of her 10 total points in the fourth quarter to give the Redbirds a fighting chance to win the game. Crompton finished the game shooting 40.0% from the field on 4-of-10 shooting and 2-of-7 from long range. She also added four rebounds, one assist, and one steal in 25 minutes of play.
Tamara Lee (INS) - Tamara Lee, a fifth-year transfer from Wichita State that is no stranger to the Valley, scored nine points and grabbed five rebounds in Indiana State’s season-opening 62-53 win at Marshall. Lee hit a trio of threes for her scoring and added two assists to her tally in her first game in a Sycamore uniform.
Janae Gonzales (LUC) - Loyola freshman guard Janae Gonzales paced the offensive attack for the Ramblers in a 74-63 season-opening loss at Youngstown State last Friday. Out of Tolleson, Ariz., Gonzales, making her collegiate debut, closed the night with a team-high 14 points. She knocked down a pair of threes and was a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line. Gonzales also grabbed two rebounds, handed out an assist and came away with a steal.
Jasmine Franklin (MSU) - Jasmine Franklin scored 10 points and grabbed three rebounds Saturday at Wichita State, shooting 4-for-4 from the field. Franklin is the first MSU freshman in the last 30 seasons to shoot 4-for-4 or better in the season opener, and the fourth Lady Bear in the last eight seasons to debut with a double-figure scoring game.
Payton McCallister (SIU) - McCallister scored 12 points and added five assists, five rebounds and two steals in her first collegiate game at UT Martin Friday night. The Columbia, Mo. native is just the 13th Saluki since 1983 to score 10-plus points in her first collegiate game. Of the 13 Saluki freshmen to score 10-plus points in a season opener, McCallister’s 12 points vs. UT Martin are tied for the fourth-most in a debut in program history.
Shay Frederick (VALPO) - Frederick had a strong burst in the second half of Wednesday’s season opener at UIC, helping Valpo fight to within five with 4:14 left in regulation after having trailed by as many as 15 early in the fourth. She was the star of that stretch, scoring five points including her first career 3. She came up with an impressive steal and uncorked a nifty bounce pass to Addison Stoller to notch an assist. Frederick made an impact across all areas in her debut, dishing out four assists and swiping three steals to go along with her seven points. The Valpo rookie followed that up as one of two Valpo players to reach double figures in Sunday’s home opener, the first double-figure scoring output of her collegiate career.