The third week of MVC women's basketball non-conference action was once again filled with a long list of great performances. Illinois State's Hannah Green helped the Redbirds to a 1-1 record during the week, averaging 18.0 points and 9.5 rebounds against George Mason and UMKC, en route to her first career Player of the Week honor. Green is the first Redbird to earn a Player of the Week honor since Alexis Foley on December 2, 2013. Southern Illinois freshman Abby Brockmeyer led the Salukis to a win at SEMO with 15 points and seven rebounds, taking home her second-straight Newcomer of the Week honor.
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Hannah Green, Sr., F, Illinois State
Illinois State senior forward Hannah Green set a new career high twice this past week as she racked up 16 points at George Mason and then added 20 points in Sunday’s win over UMKC, nearly posting a double-double in both games. The senior forward also added six total blocks this week and 19 total rebounds, bringing her season averages to 6.8 rebounds, 3.0 blocks and 10.8 points per game. Green earned a double-double in the loss at George Mason with 16 points and 10 rebounds and led the Redbirds in scoring in both games played this week.
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK
Abby Brockmeyer, Fr., F, Southern Illinois
Southern Illinois freshman forward Abby Brockmeyer poured in a team-high 15 points and added seven rebounds, a block and steal in the Salukis’ 79-74 overtime win at SEMO on Nov. 22. The Raymond, Ill. native finished 6-of-9 (66.7%) from the floor in a career-best 39 minutes in the victory, which marked the third-straight game in which Brockmeyer has scored in double figures.
Noteworthy - In addition to the league's player and newcomer of the week selections, several conference players had notable performances, and they include:
Vanessa Markert (BRAD) - Markert averaged a team-best 11.0 points per game in two games at the SEMO Thanksgiving Classic to go with 5.0 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.5 steals per outing. In her first time coming off the bench this season, she helped the Bradley reserves score 35 points and she tallied five points, two boards and two blocks in 13 minutes in a victory over Nicholls State as the Braves opened a season with a 3-1 record for the first time since 2008-09. In the championship game of the tournament, Markert helped Bradley rally from a 17-point deficit to take a lead in the closing minutes as she finished with team highs of 17 points, eight boards, one assist, one block and a career-best three steals against SEMO. In fact, she had 13 points, five rebounds, one assist and two steals in the second half.
Sara Rhine (DU) - Averaged 17.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in three games last week … poured in career-high 27 points, pulled down season-high 12 rebounds, swatted career-high three shots and added one assist in just 19 minutes in blowout win over Mississippi Valley State … had 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting, grabbed four rebounds, handed out one assist and snagged one steal against George Mason in 25 minutes … scored nine points and pulled down three rebounds against Wyoming in 22 minutes … averaging team-best 16.0 points per game with 5.2 rebounds per game and shooting team-high 60 percent from the floor.
Brooke Dossett (UE) - Senior guard Brooke Dossett led the Purple Aces to a 79-53 victory over Westminster on Tuesday evening with a 21-point, 5-rebound, 5-assist performance...Dossett’s 21 points are a season-high and second-most in her Evansville career...the win was the Purple Aces’ 500th win in program history and helped push Evansville to .500 (2-2) on the season...with the win, UE extended its winning-streak in Meeks Family Fieldhouse to four games.
Ashley Taia (INS) - Senior forward Ashely Taia received Cancun Challenge All-Tournament Team honors after finishing the week shooting 44.4 percent (8-for-18) from the field and was an impressive 45.4 percent (5-for-11) in 3-point shooting. Her explosive shooting from downtown vaulted her to 35th in the nation so far this season in 3-point field goal shooting percentage as she is now hitting shots beyond the arc at a 50 percent rate this year. A native of Brisbane, Australia, Taia also tallied five rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block while scoring 21 points and averaging 28.5 minutes per game.
Liza Fruendt (MSU) - Liza Fruendt averaged 16 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals in two games at the Junkanoo Jam, earning all-tournament honors. She scored 25 points on 10-for-21 shooting Friday against Penn, knocking down a trio of 3-pointers, grabbing five rebounds, and swiping three steals. Against No. 8 Baylor on Thanksgiving Day, Fruendt had seven points, three assists and a steal.
Megan Maahs (UNI) - Maahs earned two double-doubles and came one rebound shy of earning a third in her three outings for the Panthers this past week. Maahs averaged 11.6 points and 11.6 rebounds in last week’s three road games, as the Panthers defeated Wyoming and lost two close contests to Creighton and UCF. The sophomore’s best game came on the road against Creighton after posting 15 points and 14 rebounds, before UNI fell in double overtime to Creighton. Maahs also added three total assists and a block in the three games this past week.
Nicole Martin (SIU) - Martin scored 14 points and added six rebounds in SIU’s overtime win over SEMO on Nov. 22. The Jefferson City, Mo. product did her damage at the charity stripe, as she set career-bests in both free throws made (8) and free throws attempted (13) in the victory. She has now reached double figures in scoring in all four of SIU’s games this season, and five-straight games dating back to last season.
Caitlin Morrison (VALPO) - Pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds to go along with eight points in Valpo’s first game of the week on Tuesday at Miami (Ohio). Followed with a strong defensive performance in Saturday’s 80-75 win over Grand Canyon, reaching a career-high five blocks, the fifth of which came on a 3-point attempt that could have tied the game with less than 10 seconds remaining.
Gabi Haack (BRAD) - Haack came off the bench to average 6.5 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 50 percent from the field, including 60 percent from three-point range in a pair of outing at the SEMO Thanksgiving Classic. She provided a boost off the bench by connecting on 3-of-4 three-pointers in Friday’s victory over Nicholls State as she matched a season-best with 11 points for the second straight contest. Haack also had five rebounds and one assist against the Colonels. In the championship game of the SEMO Classic, Haack had two points, four rebounds one steal.
Maddie Monahan (DU) - Scored seven points, handed out four assists and grabbed one steal … had seven points and six assists against George Mason in 25 minutes … scored three points, nabbed two steals, handed out two assists and pulled down one rebound against Wyoming in 26 minutes … averaging 5.0 points and 4.0 assists per game in her first season.
Paige Saylor (ILS) - The freshman guard added 12 points, seven steals and four assists to guide the Redbirds to a 64-53 victory over UMKC on Sunday. Which is a personal best for her in every stat category this season. Her seven steals, ties for sixth most in ISU history. Saylor continues to put the most time on the court finishing this week with 73 minutes in two games.
Alexis Delgado (INS) - Alexis Delgado shot 45.5 percent (5-for-11) from the floor and averaged 6.5 points per game at the Cancun Challenge for Indiana State last week. A junior from Phoenix, Delgado added two rebounds, two assists and a steal while scoring 11 points in Indiana State’s 57-45 win over Montana on Thursday.
Jessica Cerda (LUC) - Loyola graduate transfer Jessica Cerda finished with a team-high 12 points in the Ramblers’ pre-Thanksgiving clash with Milwaukee this past Tuesday. The Streamwood, Ill., product came off the bench to knock down four of her eight attempts from beyond the three-point arc en route to leading the Maroon & Gold for a second time in as many games. Cerda currently ranks third on the team in scoring (7.0 ppg) and is operating at just over a 41% clip (7-of-17) from distance.
Brice Calip (MSU) - Brice Calip averaged 6.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in two games at the Junkanoo Jam in the Bahamas, adding two steals and a block. She shot 46 percent overall and 50 percent from 3-point land. Against eighth-ranked Baylor, Calip had five points, two rebounds and an assist. The next day against Penn, the redshirt freshman finished with seven points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals and a blocked shot.
Nicole Konieczny (VALPO) - Took over as the primary point guard when starter Hannah Schaub went down with an injury early in the game against Miami (Ohio) and did not return for Saturday’s game against Grand Canyon. Konieczny dished out six assists on Tuesday before setting a season watermark with seven in her first career start on Saturday. Also went 6-for-6 at the free-throw line and scored eight points in Saturday’s win over the Antelopes. Helped Valpo finish with just 10 turnovers as a team, its lowest total against a Division I opponent since December 2015.