Missouri State's Alexa Willard scored 21 points, shooting 88.9% from the field and 100% from behind the arc in the Lady Bears' 90-59 win over Northwestern, earning her first career MVC Player of the Week honor. Evansville freshman guard Kayla Casteel averaged 13.5 points and shot 58.3% from three in a pair of games for the Aces, claiming her first Newcomer of the Week honor.

MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Alexa Willard, So., G, Missouri State
Missouri State sophomore guard Alexa Willard was nearly perfect in MSU’s 90-59 victory against Northwestern on Saturday, scoring a career-high 21 points in 23 minutes. Willard shot 8-for-9 overall against a Wildcat defense that entered the game allowing 34 percent shooting on the season, going 3-for-3 from behind the arc and 2-for-2 from the foul line. Willard added two rebounds, one assist, one steal and a block, and scored 14 points in the first quarter.  

MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK:
Kayla Casteel, Fr., G, Evansville
Entering the week looking for her first collegiate points, freshman guard Kayla Casteel recorded a pair of double-digit scoring performances. On Thursday night, the Indianapolis native came off the bench to score 14 points in 23 minutes of action, swishing four three-pointers in the Aces’ 96-59 win over Oakland City. Casteel continued her strong week on Saturday as the freshman tallied 13 points on 3-5 shooting from beyond the arc in a 96-77 road loss at UIC. On the week, Casteel averaged 13.5 points while shooting 53.3% (8-15) from the field, 58.3% (7-12) from beyond the arc, and going a perfect 4-4 from the free-throw line. The freshman also showed poise in her first appearances with increased minutes, committing just two turnovers in 42 minutes of action.

Noteworthy - In addition to the league's player and newcomer of the week selections, several conference players had notable performances, and they include:  

Shunseere Kent (BRAD) - Kent scored a team-high 12 points in Bradley’s outing at 21st-ranked Green Bay Saturday.  She scored in double figures for the first time since the Nov. 24 win vs. Nicholls State with her 12-point effort and also added four rebounds, two assists and one steal in Bradley’s first contest against a ranked team in two years.  Kent was 4-for-8 from the field and 3-for-4 from the free throw line.    

Brenni Rose (DU) - In Drake’s lone action of week against South Dakota for the second consecutive game, Rose, led the team in scoring with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting to go with a career-high six assists, five rebounds and a career-best three blocks … started past four games … in those starts has scored 17, 13, 20 and 17 points, respectively … played in all 11 games, averaging 9.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game this season. 

Megan Maahs (UNI) -  Maahs earned her fourth double-double of the season, after scoring 12 points and snagging 10 rebounds against No. 25 Iowa on Sunday. The sophomore also added two assists and a block against the Hawkeyes. The double-digit scoring effort was Maah’s eighth of the year, which ranks most on the team. 

Maya Meredith (VALPO) - Set the bar high with her first start in a Valpo uniform on Friday night against IU Northwest. The sophomore point guard’s 16 assists not only shattered Shari Toelke’s program record that had stood since she dished out 14 on Jan. 15, 1992 against Marquette, but that number also ranks tied for sixth in the history of the Missouri Valley Conference. Meredith become just the 10th player in conference history to register 16 assists or more in a single game. Her 16 assists rank second in the nation this season behind only Syracuse’s Tiana Mangakahia, who had 17 against Vanderbilt on Nov. 24. Meredith’s previous career high was five and her season best was three. In addition, Meredith played a turnover-free game, the first time Valpo’s starting point guard has not committed any turnovers in a game since the season opener against IU Kokomo. 

Brice Calip (MSU) - Brice Calip stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals Saturday, helping the Lady Bears to a 90-59 win against Northwestern. She shot 50 percent from the floor and connected on both of her 3-point attempts, and became the first MSU freshman since 2010 with at least five assists and no turnovers in the win.