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Drake and Bradley are the only two remaining teams perfect in MVC action. The Bulldogs sit 4-0 in league play, while the Braves are off to a 3-0 league start. The Braves are 3-0 to open the MVC schedule for the first time since 2008-09 (4-0) and just the fourth time in program history, while the Bulldogs sit 4-0 for the third time in four years. Drake will play host to Evansville and Indiana State this weekend, while Bradley will welcome Southern Illinois and Missouri State.
New Valley Record
Drake now has the longest win streak in MVC history for regular season MVC contests. With the road win at Missouri State Friday, Drake set the new all-time mark at 25, surpassing the Lady Bears record of 24-straight wins set in 2000. The impressive streak started Feb. 26, 2016 with a win over Loyola.
Consecutive MVC Wins (MVC History)
26 - Drake (Feb. 26, 2016-present)
24 – Missouri State (Jan.9, 1999-Feb.. 5, 2000)
1,000 Point Club
Currently, three players in the MVC have achieved 1,000 career points. Valpo’s Dani Franklin will look to join the 1,500-point club on Friday. Franklin will look to become the second Crusader to surpass the mark (Debbie Bolen).
Rank Player, School Points
1. Dani Franklin, Valparaiso 1,488
2. Liza Fruendt, Missouri State 1,381
3. Kylie Giebelhausen, Southern Illinois 1,118
RPI Update
The latest installment of the NCAA RPI Report (Jan. 7) has five Valley teams that rank in the top-200, led by Bradley at No. 110, Drake at No. 118, UNI at 160, Southern Illinois at 181 and Missouri State at No. 183.
Strength of Schedule
UNI leads the league with a non-conference strength of schedule of 24. Two other league schools, including Drake (No. 29) and Missouri State (No. 34), also have schedules that rank in the top-35.
Senior CLASS
Southern Illinois’ Kylie Giebelhausen was named a candidate for the 2017-18 Senior CLASS Award. Giebelhausen is among 30 NCAA Division I candidates in women’s basketball for the award which recognizes notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition.
Double Your Pleasure
UNI’s Megan Maahs leads the league in double-doubles this season, adding another in the loss at SIU Friday. The sophomore is averaging 10.3 points and a league-best 9.7 rebounds per game. Below are players with three or more double-doubles this season.
No. Player, Team
6 Megan Maahs, UNI
3 Abby Brockmeyer, Southern Illinois
3 Simone Goods, Illinois State
3 Sara Rhine, Drake
Knocking Down Freebies
After going 11-12 (91.7%) from the free-throw line on Friday, Evansville continues to lead the nation in free-throw shooting percentage, shooting 84.0% from the charity stripe this season. Evansville is one of just four teams in the nation shooting better than 80% this season. The Aces are on pace to set the MVC record set by Illinois State during the 2010 season (80.5%). If the season were to end today, Evansville would be the first team in NCAA men’s or women’s basketball history across all divisions to shoot better than 84% from the free-throw line.
Top Five Team Free Throw Percentage Seasons
1. 80.5% Illinois State 2010
2. 79.3% Missouri State 2006
79.3% UNI 2006
4. 78.7% Drake 1984
78.7% Drake 2001
Sharing the Rock
Over the past four seasons, Drake has ranked in the top 10 every season in the NCAA in assists per game. The Bulldogs are once again sharing the basketball as they enter the week No. 4 in the country averaging 22.0 assists per contest.
Assists Per Game
1. UConn 23.8
2. Baylor 22.8
3. Iowa 22.5
4. Drake 22.0
5. Oregon State 21.4