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Drake and Missouri State are the only two remaining teams perfect in MVC action. The Bulldogs sit 4-0 in league play, while the Lady Bears are off to a 3-0 league start. Drake will travel to UNI this weekend, while Missouri State will travel to Bradley and Illinois State.
Leading the Pack
Drake’s Sara Rhine and Becca Hittner currently rank as the top two scorers in The Valley, ranking No. 1 and No. 2 respectively. Rhine is averaging 18.9 points per game, while Hittner is averaging 18.2 a contest. Only one time in the league’s history has a teammate tandem finished the season ranking No. 1 and 2 as Drake’s Wanda Ford (24.2 ppg) and Julie Fitzpatrick (23.1 ppg) led the way during the 1984-85 season.
Valley Streak
Drake has the longest win streak in the history of the Gateway/MVC for regular season contests, winning 44-straight. The impressive streak started Feb. 26, 2016 with a win over Loyola. The Bulldogs broke SIU’s 37 game streak from 1985-1987 during the Gateway era with a win over Illinois State last season. The streak is the second longest active streak against conference opponents, trailing only UConn’s streak of 119 straight wins in the American.
Taking Care of the Ball
Brittney Patrick currently leads the Valley, and ranks 4th nationally, in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.45). Patrick’s 5.2 assists per game also leads the MVC while she also leads the league in total assists (73). SIU has only once had a player lead the league in assists per game (Cartaesha Macklin, 2013) and Patrick’s 3.45 assist-to-turnover ratio would be a school record.
Road Winning
Bradley improved 5-1 in road games this season with victories at Evansville & Indiana State last weekend. The Braves snapped a 21-game road losing streak in the series with the Sycamores dating back to a 70-53 victory on Jan. 26, 1997 with a 61-45 win at the Hulman Center Sunday afternoon to even their MVC record at 2-2. The five road wins are tied for the MVC lead with Drake (5-2) and Indiana State (5-4)
Harper Earns 100th MSU Win
Missouri State won its 100th game under Kellie Harper on Sunday, a 66-51 triumph against Southern Illinois. Harper is the fourth Lady Bears boss to win 100 games at the school, joining Cheryl Burnett (319), Reba Sims (129) and Nyla Milleson (105).
Strength of Schedule
Drake and Missouri State tested themselves with a difficult non-conference schedule this season. According to WarrenNolan.com, the Bulldogs played the third toughest non-conference strength of schedule this season, while the Lady Bears’ non-league schedule ranks 36th nationally.
1,000 Point Club
Evansville’s Kerri Gasper has moved closer to 1,000 career points. Gasper currently sits at 992 points, just eight points away from becoming the seventh active MVC player to reach 1,000 career points.
Drake has four active players are second nationally behind Marquette and Notre Dame (each with five).
Current MVC Players in 1,000 Point Club
1,366 - Maddy Dean, Drake
1,335 - Sara Rhine, Drake
1,185 - Becca Hittner, Drake
1,149 - Ellie Howell, UNI
1,134 - Meredith Hamlet, Valparaiso
1,027 - Sammie Bachrodt, Drake
MVC Players Approaching 1,000 Points
992 - Kerri Gasper, Evansville
883 - Becca Jonas, Drake
Double Your Pleasure
Bradley’s Chelsea Brackmann is the only MVC player averaging a double-double this season. The junior is averaging 12.5 points and 10.9 rebounds per game (leads MVC, 24th nationally). Brackmann has seven double-doubles on the season. Below are players with five or more double-doubles.
No. Player, Team
7 Chelsea Brackmann, Bradley
6 Abby Brockmeyer, Southern Illinois
Sara Rhine, Drake
5 Simone Goods, Illinois State
Sharp Shooters
A year after seeing Evansville lead the nation in free-throw percentage (82.0%), The Valley has two of the nation’s top five teams in the category so far this season. Loyola currently leads the league and sits 3rd nationally, while UNI sits tied for 4th.
Loyola’s Abby O’Connor leads The Valley and ranks No. 2 nationally hitting 94.6% of her attempts. In 2012-13, UNI’s Jacqui Kalin set the MVC record with a percentage of 95.5% for a season.
Free-Throw Percentage
1. Virginia Tech 81.0%
2. Oregon 79.6%
3. Loyola 79.0%
4. Fresno State 78.7%
UNI 78.7%
The RPI Ratings Game
The latest installment of the NCAA RPI Report (Jan. 14) has six Valley teams that rank in the top-175, led by Drake at No. 13, followed by UNI (71), Missouri State (132), Indiana State (144), Southern Illinois (165) and Bradley (171). The MVC ranks 13th among 32 conferences.
Sharing the Rock
Over the past five seasons, Drake has ranked in the top 10 every season in the NCAA in assists per game, including leading the nation a year ago. The Bulldogs are once again sharing the basketball as they enter the week No. 2 in the country averaging 22.3 assists per contest.
Assists Per Game
1. Baylor 22.8
2. Drake 22.3
3. Iowa 21.9
4. Michigan State 21.3
5. Oregon 20.7
Two Sport Athlete
Lexi Wallen joined the team following a four-year volleyball career at ISU. The senior forward has made an immediate impact on the team, averaging 9.3 points and six rebounds per game during conference play. She is one of five reported athletes to be currently competing in both volleyball and basketball at the division 1 level. Two of the five are Valley athletes. Katherine Carlson of Valparaiso also recently joined the basketball team after a volleyball career.