Bradley's Gabi Haack averaged 18.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game, while shooting 57.0% from the field as the Braves remained perfect in Valley play, earning her second MVC Player of the Week honor this season. Southern Illinois junior Gabby Walker scored the game-winning basket in the Salukis' 70-68 win over No. 17 Missouri State, finishing with nine points in the victory, earning her first Newcomer of the Week award.
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Gabi Haack, Jr., G, Bradley
Haack averaged 18.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals while shooting 57 percent from the field in a pair of road victories. She scored a game-high 16 points and also had seven rebounds, three assists and one steal at Loyola. Haack followed that up by scoring a game-high 21 points on 6-of-8 shooting (4-of-6 from three-point range) at Valparaiso as she became the 19th player in school history to score 1,000 career points. Haack also had five rebounds, two assists and two steals to highlight the 75-61 road win at Valpo, scoring 10 of her 21 points during the third quarter to help Bradley pull away for the victory which improved the Braves to 14-2 overall & 5-0 in Valley play. Bradley’s 5-0 start to league play is the best in program history, while the 14-2 overall record is also Bradley’s best mark through 16 games.
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK:
Gabby Walker, Jr., F, Southern Illinois
SIU’s Gabby Walker scored the game-winning basket in the Salukis’ 70-68 upset win over No. 17 Missouri State on Friday, as her layup with :01.3 seconds to play sealed Southern’s first victory over a ranked opponent since 1991. The junior transfer finished with nine points on 4-of-8 shooting and added a steal and an assist in 13 minutes of work against the Lady Bears.
Noteworthy - In addition to the league's player and newcomer of the week selections, several conference players had notable performances, and they include:
Becca Hittner (DU) - Senior Becca Hittner helped lead Drake to two blowout home wins this past weekend. Hittner averaged 16.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 47.4 percent (9-of-19) from the floor, 50.0 percent (6-of-12) and 100.0 percent (8-of-8) from the free throw line. She scored 16 points, pulled down six rebounds, handed out two assists and blocked one shot in just 20 minutes in the team’s 105-65 win over Indiana State. Hittner knocked down two three-pointers and went 6-for-6 at the free throw line. In the team’s 108-44 win over Evansville, she scored 16 points, including making four three-pointers, grabbed six rebounds, nabbed a season-high four steals and handed out one assist in 20 minutes of action.
TeTe Maggett (ILS) - Senior guard TeTe Maggett averaged 21.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists per game and 3.0 steals as the Redbirds split a pair of MVC road games over the weekend. In Friday’s win over Valparaiso, Maggett exploded for 26 points on 50 percent (8-of-16) shooting, also grabbing eight rebounds, dishing out seven assists and adding three steals. The senior also posted 16 points at Loyola, 14 of which came in the second half, four rebounds and three steals.
Allison Day (LUC) - Loyola sophomore forward Allison Day averaged a team-best 13.5 points as the Ramblers split a pair of games against in-state rivals this past weekend. Following a 10-point (4-13 FGs, 2-4 FT), three-rebound effort on Friday afternoon against Bradley, the Russellville, Ohio product poured in 17 points (6-10 FGs, 5-8 FTs), 15 of which came in the second half, in addition to an assist and a block as the Ramblers picked up a 69-64 win over Illinois State on Sunday. Day, who has scored in double figures 13 times this season, currently ranks second on the Rambler roster in scoring at 13.0 ppg, a mark that puts her 13th in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Alexa Willard (MSU) - Alexa Willard posted her seventh 20-point game of the season Friday at Southern Illinois, pouring in a game-high 27 points on 11-for-21 shooting. Willard also grabbed six rebounds, including five on the offensive end, and nabbed a pair of steals. The senior moved up to 19th in school history in career scoring, now with 1,332 points as a Lady Bear.
Karli Rucker (UNI) - Karli Rucker averaged 15.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5 assists in two games this weekend. She tied her career-high with 28 points against Evansville Friday, including 15 of her 28 points in the final 6:06 in the game to spur a 17-2 run to close the game for the Panthers. She was 6-8 from the three-point line and 11-15 from the field Friday.
Brittney Patrick (SIU) - Patrick had her most complete game of the season in SIU’s upset win over No. 17 Missouri State, which included the game-winning assist with :01.3 seconds to play. The senior guard finished with a season-high 12 points to go along with eight rebounds, five assists and two steals to help Southern defeat a ranked opponent for the first time since 1991. It marked the second-straight game in which the DeKalb, Ill. native has reached double figures.
Caitlin Morrison (VALPO) - Morrison set a career high on Sunday against league-leading Bradley, scoring 15 points while also leading Valpo in rebounding. It is already the second time within Valley play this year that Morrison has surpassed her previous career high, and the junior is averaging 8.8 ppg in conference play after scoring just 4.6 ppg in the non-conference slate.
Sarah Beth Gueldner (DU) - Freshman Sarah Beth Gueldner provided a spark off the Bulldogs’ bench in the team’s two big wins. Gueldner equaled her career-high of 15 points off a career-best five three-pointers in the victory over Evansville. She added one assist in 16 minutes. Against Indiana State, she scored two points and handed out one assist in a career-high 19 minutes.
Abby Feit (UE) - On the road in MVC action, freshman Abby Feit was a picture of consistency. In two games, Feit hovered right at her season averages for scoring and rebounding. At UNI, Feit scored 15 points and nine rebounds, while also chipping-in two assists, two blocks, and two assists while not committing a foul or a turnover in 38 minutes of action. Taking on Drake, Feit nearly mirrored her performance from Friday, scoring 14 points and tallying nine rebounds.
Mary Crompton (ILS) - Redshirt freshman Mary Crompton averaged 8.5 points and 2.5 assists as the Redbirds split a pair of MVC road games over the weekend. Crompton contributed eight points in Friday’s victory over Valpo, including two triples and two assists. The redshirt freshman also drained a pair of three-pointers in Sunday’s game at Loyola, finishing with nine points and three assists. Crompton ranks fourth in conference, averaging 2.3 three-pointers per contest on the season.
Kristina Cavey (UNI) - Kristina Cavey tallied a double-double Friday with 10 points and 12 rebounds, including six offensive rebounds. She was 2-4 from the three-point line on the weekend and 4-13 from the field.
Carie Weinman (VALPO) - Weinman averaged 10 points, 3 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game in Valpo’s pair of MVC games last weekend. She poured in 12 points against Illinois State - her fourth double-figure scoring output of the year - and had four steals against the Redbirds. With 16 steals through six MVC games, Weinman is tied with teammate Shay Frederick for the conference lead.