NOTEBOOK (PDF)
High Level Week
This week’s Valley schedule is filled with marquee non-conference opportunities. Eight of the 16 games will feature teams from the Big East, Big 12, Big 10 and SEC as well as games vs. South Dakota and South Dakota State.
Big East: Indiana State at Xavier (Monday) & Xavier at Valparaiso (Wednesday)
Big 12: Iowa State at UNI (Tuesday)
Big Ten: Valparaiso at Wisconsin (Sunday)
SEC: Missouri State at Missouri (Monday)
The Valley currently sits 4-3 vs. the Big Ten, 0-1 vs. the ACC and 2-1 vs. the Big East entering this week’s schedule.
Last season, the MVC earned nine wins over members of Power Five conferences during the regular season.
Only B1G Non-Con Road Wins
Big Ten women’s basketball teams are 29-3 in home non-conference games this year. All three of those losses have come via Valley women’s basketball programs. Valpo claimed wins at Illinois and Purdue, while Drake won at Minnesota. Valpo can add another B1G road win at Wisconsin on Sunday.
Rivalry Time
Missouri State renews its in-state rivalry with Missouri for a ninth consecutive season Monday evening in Columbia. The 20th-ranked Lady Bears are 3-1 on the season and already own a victory against No. 12 Maryland, and are 53-8 overall since Dec. 20, 2018, ranking fifth nationally in total wins since that date behind Baylor, Oregon, UConn and Louisville.
UNI’s Dominant Top 25 Win
UNI was impressive in a 65-48 win over No. 22 South Dakota State. The win was the Panthers’ fourth Top 25 win in non-conference play in program history and first since beating No. 24 Kansas State in 2016. The defensive effort, allowing only 48 points is the best defensive mark in any of the 51 total games played versus ranked foes in program history.
Top 25 Success
The Valley is 2-1 vs. AP Top 25 Teams this season, with Missouri State’s win over #12 Maryland and UNI’s over #22 South Dakota State.
The last time The Valley had a pair of AP Top 25 wins during the non-conference portion of the season was back in 2002 when Drake beat No. 18 Iowa State and UNI beat No. 24 Iowa State.
Red Hot Valley
Since Saturday, December 5, Valley women’s basketball teams have won 14 of their last 17 contests, improving to 23-13 overall in non-conference action this season. All 10 programs sit at .500 or better on the season entering this week’s action.
Home Cooking
Currently MVC teams are 12-3 at home this season, going a perfect 7-0 at home last week. Last year, The Valley posted an impressive 39-9 (.813) record at home during non-conference play. This week’s schedule has 10 games currently on the schedule.
Polling
Missouri State appears No. 20 in this week’s AP Top 25 Poll and No. 22 in the latest USA Today Coaches Top 25 poll (Dec. 8). Last week’s ranking in the coaches poll marks MSU’s 20th consecutive appearance, establishing a school record. The next coaches poll will be announced Tuesday.
DU: Back and Forth Rivalry
Tuesday’s game at South Dakota State will be the fifth all-time meeting between the two schools in the series that is tied. Drake won last season’s game that started the 2019-20 season while South Dakota State took the two prior contests. The first game against the two happened in 2005, shortly after SDSU transitioned from Division II.
LUC: Oh So Close
Loyola came within minutes of picking up only its third win over a ranked team in program history on Sunday, ultimately dropping a 76-67 decision to No. 24/23 DePaul. Loyola, which led for long stretches of the second half, took a six-point lead into the fourth quarter, but fell victim to a 15-0 Blue Demon run that proved to be the difference. Maya Chandler continued her fast start to the season, scoring 14 points for the second time in as many outings to pace a trio of Ramblers in double figures.
ILS: Plethora of Points
The Redbirds have combined to score 183 points in the first two games of the season. The ‘Birds scored 98 points in the win over Saint Xavier and 85 points in Sunday’s victory at Western Illinois. The last time ISU scored at least 183 points in back-to-back games was in November 2008 (94-82 W vs. Robert Morris on 11/22/08, 91-68 W at Western Illinois on 11/25/08).
SIU: Perfect Week
The Salukis disposed of a pair of Ohio Valley Conference programs in back-to-back wins over the weekend. The Salukis used a 23-3 run in the fourth quarter to sink Austin Peay, 72-54 on Saturday and followed with a 67-51 win over the defending OVC Tournament Champion SEMO Redhawks on Sunday.
INS: Offense Rising
With their 78-51 victory over Western Illinois on Monday, the Sycamores have put together 246 points over three games. Their total is the highest scoring output for the Blue & White over a three-game stretch since scoring 294 in games against Drake (84), Creighton (89) and Evansville (91) from Dec. 29, 2006-Jan. 4, 2007. After averaging only 59.8 points per game a year ago, the Trees are fourth in the Valley averaging 73.8 points per game.
UE: Improving the Efficiency
Through two games, the Aces have already proven to be a much more efficient team in 2020-21 than in past seasons. Evansville has shot 40.9% from three this season, putting the Aces 21st in the nation in the stat. Evansville is also 86th in the NCAA Division I in field-goal percentage (43.7%) and 103rd in free-throw percentage (71.1%).
VALPO: A Runaway Win
Valpo’s lead reached as many as 26 points in the first half as it cruised to a 75-51 victory over Western Michigan Saturday. The 24-point margin of victory was the program’s largest over a MAC team in nearly a quarter-century, as you have to go back to an 88-54 win over WMU in December 1996 to find a larger margin of victory against a MAC opponent.
MSU: Dominating the Glass
Missouri State has won the rebounding battle all four games this year and 30 of the last 34, with a plus-17.0 margin this season ahead of the school-record pace (+9.9) and the .805 defensive rebounding percentage better than last season’s NCAA-leading .773 mark.
BU: Hot Hand
Bradley junior Lasha Petree scored 26 of her season-best 30 points in the second half of Sunday’s victory over Northern Illinois to help Bradley rally from a 10-point second-half deficit. Petree, who collected her third career 30-point performance, turned in the highest scoring half for a Brave (26 points) since Genny Mueller had 26 in the second half of a home win over Indiana State on March 6, 2004. In addition, the 30-point effort moved Petree up three spots on Bradley’s career scoring list into a tie with head coach Andrea Gorski for 21st at 980 career points. Petree needs 20 points to become the 21st Bradley player to reach 1,000 career points.
This week's Missouri Valley Conference Player and Newcomer of the Week are Bradley's Lasha Petree and Indiana State's Essy Latu.
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Lasha Petree, Jr., G, Bradley
Petree sparked a Bradley comeback, scoring 26 of her season-best 30 points in the second half (including 17 points in the fourth quarter) as she helped the Braves erase a 10-point second half deficit in a 79-71 win over Northern Illinois Sunday. Petree also added three rebounds, one assist, two blocks and a steal in her 32 minutes. Limited to just four points in the first half due to foul trouble, she took over down the stretch; scoring 22 of Bradley’s final 35 points. In fact, with Bradley trailing by five to start the fourth quarter she outscored NIU on her own (17-15) in the final period. Petree hit a game-tying three-pointer with just under six minutes to play and scored nine points during a 13-3 run that put Bradley in front. With Bradley holding a three-point lead in the final minute, Petree had a steal and three-point play to help seal the victory.
Other Notable Performances: Mary Crompton (ILS); Maya Chandler (LUC); Sydney Wilson (MSU); Karli Rucker (UNI); Abby Brockmeyer (SIU); Carie Weinman (VALPO)
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK:
Essy Latu, Jr., G/F, Indiana State
Indiana State’s Essy Latu continued her hot shooting on Monday against Western Illinois to help the Sycamore claim their third-straight victory. The junior finished with 18 points on 6-of-9 from deep, tied for the second most triples by a Sycamore in Hulman Center history and her 66.7% from behind the line is the eighth-best in arena history. Latu is currently 18th in the nation in three-point field goals made per game (3.75) and 19th in total made threes at 15. She is shooting a blistering 45.5% from deep on the year.
Other Notable Performances: DeAnna Wilson (ILS); Maya Chandler (LUC); Abi Jackson (MSU); Emerson Green (UNI); Quierra Love (SIU)