NOTEBOOK (PDF)
Top Start
Bradley’s 67-65 comeback victory at Cleveland State (Dec. 19) improved the Braves to 9-0 and matched the best start in program history, also accomplished by the 2001-02 squad. The nine-game win streak, which was snapped at Purdue (Dec. 21), also tied the longest win streak in school history. Bradley’s nine non-conference wins are the squad’s most since 2011-12 and match the school mark for non-conference victories with one non-conference contest remaining on the slate (Friday vs. Chicago St.).
In-State Battle
Drake and No. 16/15 Iowa have had some classic games the past few seasons and Friday night in the Knapp Center was another one in the all-time series that started in 1974 and Iowa now holds a slight edge, 26-25, all-time. The Hawkeyes ultimately prevailed in a wild back-and-forth 91-82 game that featured 11 ties and 10 lead changes. Senior All-American Megan Gustafson scored 44 points for Iowa while junior and reigning MVC Player of the Year Becca Hittner poured in a career-high 32 points for the Bulldogs.
Redbirds Flyin’ High
The Redbirds captured their fifth-straight win on Thursday, Dec. 20, defeating Saint Louis 72-67. This is the longest win streak since the 2012-13 season for the program and the squad remains undefeated at home. Simone Goods netted a career high of 30 points in the win.
All About Abby
Loyola forward Abby O’Connor poured in a career-high 31 points against city-rival No. 20/18 DePaul on Thursday night inside Gentile Arena. O’Connor, who averaged a team-best 14.0 points during non-conference play, was the first Rambler to crack the 30-point mark in a game since Kailyn Strawbridge scored 32 points in a 79-70 loss at Purdue Fort Wayne on November 12, 2017.
Ten Game Checkup
The Lady Bears reached the season’s one-third mark with a 3-7 record thanks in part to their annual challenging schedule, a record that is in keeping with the 10-game records of the last four years, all of which ended in postseason trips. Beginning in 2014-15, MSU started with records of 2-8, 6-4, 4-6 and 4-6, and finished those season with 18, 24, 16 and 21 victories.
Panthers Perfect at Home
UNI closed out the home non-conference with a 79-50 win over Omaha. The win closes out the home non-conference slate with a 5-0 mark. It is the first time the Panthers were undefeated at home in the non-conference since the 1999 season.
5th-Straight in Carbondale
The Salukis improved to 5-0 at home this season with a 78-73 overtime win over IUPUI. It marks the first time since the 1996-97 season in which SIU has opened a season with five-straight home wins. The victory also marked the first for Southern over a Horizon League foe since 2000. The Jaguars, who were picked to finish second in the Horizon League Preseason Poll, came into the contest ranked No. 23 in the most recent College Insider Mid-Major Poll.
It’s Raining Threes
Valpo drained 17 3-pointers on Friday vs. Bowling Green, matching a school record that was set in 2004. The 17 triples tied for the fourth most in the history of the Missouri Valley Conference. Valpo fired off 38 3-point attempts, the most second most in program history and the most since 1992. Bowling Green also hit 14 3s, so the two teams combined to knock down 31 shots from beyond the arc.
The RPI Ratings Game
The latest installment of the NCAA RPI Report (Dec. 24) has six Valley teams that rank in the top-175, led by Drake at No. 13, followed by UNI (66), Bradley (121), Southern Illinois (126), Missouri State (155) and Indiana State (168). The MVC ranks 14th among 32 conferences.
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Kristen Nelson, Jr., G, Southern Illinois
Kristen Nelson averaged 19 points on 66.7% shooting from the floor, including a perfect 7-for-7 from behind the arc, to go along with 2.5 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.5 rebounds in SIU’s two wins last week. Nelson poured in a career-high 24 points on a blistering 80% (8-of-10) from the field in Southern’s 64-59 win over Murray State on Dec. 18. The Farmington Hills, Mich. native was a perfect 4-fo-4 from behind the arc in the win- becoming the first Saluki since 2009 to make four-straight treys without a miss. Nelson followed up that performance with her fifth-straight double-digit scoring output in Southern’s 78-73 overtime win over IUPUI. She shot 50% from the floor, including 3-of-3 from both three-point range and from the charity stripe, to finish with 14 points, four assists and two rebounds.
Other Notable Performances: Chelsea Brackmann (BRAD); Becca Hittner (DU); Marley Miller (UE); Simone Goods (ILS); Abby O’Connor (LUC); Danielle Gitzen (MSU); Karli Rucker (UNI); Grace Hales (VALPO)
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK:
TeTe Maggett, Jr., G, Illinois State
Illinois State’s TeTe Maggett added 19 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals in a 72-67 victory over Saint Louis. The junior guard ignited the squad at halftime after sinking a half-court shot at the buzzer to propel the Redbirds ahead 39-38, with the shot appearing on ESPN’s Sports Center Top 10. The junior guard shot 41 percent from the floor, netting 7-for-17 and was perfect at the charity stripe (2-for-2).
Other Notable Performances: Tatum Koenig (BRAD); Jasmine Franklin (MSU); Cynthia Wolf (UNI); Shay Frederick (VALPO)