Drake's Becca Hittner averaged 27.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game, while shooting 58.3% from the field and 69.2% from three as the Bulldogs split the weekend with Southern Illinois and Missouri State, earning her first MVC Player of the Week honor of the season and seventh of her career. Illinois State junior Juliunn Redmond scored 18 points with 11 rebounds and two assists as the Redbirds fell at home to Bradley, earning her third-straight Newcomer of the Week honor.
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Becca Hittner, Sr., G, Drake
Senior Becca Hittner posted impressive numbers this past weekend in helping Drake split pair of home games. Hittner averaged 27.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.0 block per game while shooting blistering 58.3 percent (14-of-24), 69.2 percent (9-of-13) from beyond the arc and made 17-of-18 (94.4 percent) at the free throw line. In the win over Southern Illinois, she poured in a game-high 31 points, including making a career-high seven three pointers and just missed a double-double with nine rebounds to go with five assists. Hittner followed in the loss to No. 24/19 Missouri State with 23 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Her nine three-pointers on the weekend helped her move all the way to No. 2 all-time in school history with 241 career threes.
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK:
Juliunn Redmond, Jr., G, Illinois State
Junior Juliunn Redmond collected her second double-double of the season in Illinois State’s lone game versus Bradley over the weekend, posting a team-high 18 points while also matching her career-high of 11 rebounds and adding two assists and two steals. Redmond is averaging 13.2 points per game in MVC play and has scored in double figures in eight of the last nine games.
Noteworthy - In addition to the league's player and newcomer of the week selections, several conference players had notable performances, and they include:
Lasha Petree (BRAD) - Petree broke out of an offensive slump in a big way, knocking down four three-pointers and finishing with a game-high 22 points to go with four rebounds, three blocks and one steal in a 66-62 victory at I-74 rival Illinois State. Bradley completed the regular-season series sweep of the Redbirds with their third consecutive road victory in the series. Collecting a combined of eight field goals in the four previous games, Petree hit two of her four three-pointers on the night in the second quarter to help Bradley build a 34-25 halftime lead. She finished 8-of-17 from the field as the Braves took over sole possession of second place in the standings by the end of the weekend. Petree moved into a tie for 10th in career three-pointers at Bradley, knocking down the 110th of her career.
Tiara Wallace (LUC) - Loyola senior guard Tiara Wallace turned in a pair of impressive efforts as the Ramblers picked up two wins last week, averaging a team-best 19.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 6.0 assists. Following a 13-point (3-6 FGs, 1-2 3FGs, 6-7 FTs), seven-rebound, six-assist effort in Thursday’s 65-55 win over Indiana State, Wallace turned in one of the most complete performances by a Rambler in recent memory as part of Saturday’s 77-47 victory against Evansville, scoring a career-high 26 points (10-13 FGs, 1-2 3FGs, 5-5 FTs) in addition to a career-best 13 rebounds, six assists, and three steals. Wallace’s scoring output from Saturday is the second highest by a Rambler in a game this season, ranking behind only Janae Gonzales’ 29-point showing against Detroit Mercy back on Nov. 5, 2019.
Brice Calip (MSU) - Brice Calip averaged 18 points on 58 percent shooting and dished out 12 total assists without a turnover to lead the Lady Bears to wins at UNI and Drake. Calip had a career-high 23 points Sunday at Drake and eight assists without a turnover for the second time in three games after that feat had not been accomplished at MSU since 2010. Friday at UNI, the junior tallied 13 points, four assists and two steals, and has now handed out 24 assists since her last turnover to raise her ratio to an MVC-leading 2.43, which ranks 19th nationally. Calip shot 11-for-19 from the floor, 2-for-5 from 3-point range and 12-for-15 at the foul line.
Megan Maahs (UNI) - Megan Maahs scored a career-high 22 points and added 12 rebounds and a pair of blocks to lead UNI to an overtime win over Southern Illinois. She tallied her first double-double since Nov. 20, 2018. She missed most of last season with an injury and again went down in the first game of conference play. She scored eight points in overtime and went 13-14 from the free-throw line in the win. Friday, she had five points, four rebounds and a block in UNI’s loss to Missouri State.
Makenzie Silvey (SIU) - Makenzie Silvey averaged 16.5 points on 50-percent shooting to go along with 3.5 assists and 3.5 steals per game in SIU’s two road contests this past weekend. The Glen Carbon, Ill. native tallied 17 points, five assists and a season-high five steals against the Drake Bulldogs on Friday and followed with 16 points and two steals against the UNI Panthers on Saturday. The junior guard has scored in double figures in 20 of SIU’s 22 games this season.
Grace Hales (VALPO) - Hales led all players in scoring in both of Valpo’s victories last weekend. The senior kicked off the weekend by connecting on a career-best six 3-pointers in the win over Evansville, going 6-of-9 from deep, and finishing with a game-high 20 points. She then tallied 14 points to pace all players in the win over Indiana State as well. The senior went 8-for-14 from 3-point range last weekend and is hitting at a 52.8% clip from downtown within Valley play, while she also went a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line to push her season FT percentage to 93.1%.
Abby Feit (UE) - On the road for a pair of Valley matchups, freshman Abby Feit nearly recorded two double-doubles in two strong performances. Against Valparaiso on Thursday, Feit scored eight points, while recording a game-high 10 rebounds. Facing Loyola on Saturday, Feit came just one point and one rebound away from a double-double, tallying nine points and nine boards.
Jamyra McChristine (INS) - Jamyra McChristine was the leader on the floor for Indiana State over the weekend, averaging 10.5 points and five rebounds against Loyola and Valparaiso. On Friday against the Ramblers the junior recorded nine points while pulling down seven rebounds and she then led the Trees in scoring against Valparaiso on Saturday, ending with 12 points and three rebounds. McChristine is ninth in the Valley with 6.2 rebounds per game.
Jala Johnson (LUC) - Loyola freshman guard Jala Johnson averaged 7.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in the Ramblers’ two victories last week. In Thursday’s 65-55 win over Indiana State, Johnson, making her second start in as many contests, finished with seven points (3-7 FGs, 1-2 FTs), four rebounds, and two assists, as Loyola snapped a three-game skid. The Toledo, Ohio native was again in the starting five in Saturday’s matchup with Evansville, adding eight points (3-8 FGs, 2-2 FTs), a rebound, and an assist in a dominant 77-47 triumph.
Carie Weinman (VALPO) - Weinman averaged 9.5 points per game last week in a pair of Valpo wins and extended her MVC-leading steal total to 45. She opened the week with 15 points and three steals in Valpo’s win over Evansville, and then tied for game-high honors with four steals in the win over Indiana State while also posting four assists. The only player in the MVC averaging better than two steals per game overall, Weinman has pushed her average to 2.7 steals/game within Valley play.