Southern Illinois' Makenzie Silvey helped lead the Salukis to a 2-0 record to open Valley play, including wins over Valparaiso and Loyola Chicago. Silvey averaged 19.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.5 steals per game during the two wins. The award is Silvey's third career MVC Player of the Week honor and second of the season.
Missouri State freshman guard Isabelle Delarue helped the Lady Bears to a 2-0 start to league play with wins over Valparaiso and Loyola Chicago, averaging 12.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game, earning her first Newcomer of the Week honor of the season.
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Makenzie Silvey, Gr, G, Southern Illinois
SIU graduate guard Makenzie Silvey averaged 19 points per game last week, helping the Salukis start 2-0 in conference play. On Friday against Valparaiso, Silvey scored 18 points to go with five rebounds and three assists. In Sunday’s win over Loyola, Silvey led the Salukis in scoring with 20, while adding four steals and two blocks. The graduate guard also drew six fouls from the Ramblers. With her performance on the weekend, Silvey has now eclipsed 1,700 career points, one of just three Salukis all-time to reach that plateau. Silvey currently sits 4th in the MVC in scoring average with 15.9 points per game and is tied for second in both assists per game (3.8) and minutes per game (34.6).
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK:
Isabelle Delarue, Fr., G, Missouri State
Freshman Isabelle Delarue led the Lady Bears in the opening weekend of conference play with 12 ppg, while grabbing four rpg in 50 total minutes. Delarue was Missouri State’s long-range threat, as she led MSU with five made three-pointers for a .313 shooting mark from behind the arc. She also had the second-highest field goal percentage (.409) on the team, while blocking two shots and getting two steals. On Friday against Loyola, she set career highs in points (13), rebounds (5), field goals (5) and minutes (25), while shooting 50 percent from the field and 43 percent from three. Delarue’s 13 points against the Ramblers were a game high. On Sunday afternoon, the freshman posted her second consecutive double-digit scoring performance with 11 points and three rebounds against Valparaiso while setting a career high in field goal attempts (12), as the Lady Bears started Missouri Valley Conference play 2-0 and extended their MVC win streak to 21 games.
Noteworthy - In addition to the league's player and newcomer of the week selections, several conference players had notable performances, and they include:
Grace Berg (DU) - Berg recorded her ninth game this season scoring in double digits. She scored 16 points against Indiana State, shooting 60% from the floor and 75 percent from the free throw line. She grabbed five rebounds and recorded two assists against the Sycamores. Against Evansville, she recorded 12 points, shooting 71.4 percent from the floor and 100 percent from the free throw line. She also grabbed two rebounds, one assist, and blocked one shot. Just two minutes into the Evansville game, she jammed her wrist but came back to score 12 points.
Abby Feit (UE) - Putting up her strongest numbers on the biggest stage, junior guard/forward Abby Feit again showcased her talent against a Power Five opponent. Against Iowa on Sunday, Feit recorded the 50th double-figure scoring performance of her career, doing so with a double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds on the road at the No. 21 team in the country. On the weekend, Feit averaged 15 points in two road games and just missed averaging a double-double with 8.5 boards, while swatting a total of five shots and grabbing five steals.
Kate Bullman (ILS) - Kate Bullman stepped up for the Redbirds in a big way this weekend, playing a team-high 38 minutes while recording 12 points, seven rebounds, two blocks and two steals to help a short-handed Illinois State defeat I-74 rival Bradley, 64-57, at Redbird Arena. One of nine available players for Saturday’s game, Bullman posted career highs in minutes (38) and points (12) in her seventh career start.
Natalia Lalic (INS) - Lalic scored a career-high 20 points Thursday night in Indiana State’s win over Drake. The senior guard also set career-highs of eight field goals and four 3-pointers in the win over the Bulldogs. Lalic scored 16 of her 20 points in the second half, including 3-pointers on four straight Sycamore possessions in the fourth quarter to give Indiana State the lead for good. She also added two assists and a block against the Bulldogs.
Allison Day (LUC) - Loyola senior forward Allison Day averaged a team-high 12.5 points in addition to 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, and 1.5 assists as the Ramblers opened Missouri Valley Conference play with a pair of road contests. After putting up seven points (3-12 FGs, 1-3 3FGs), five rebounds, and a career-high three blocks on Friday at Missouri State, the Russellville, Ohio native finished a perfect 7-for-7 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free throw line en route to finishing with a team-best 18 points in Sunday’s weekend finale against Southern Illinois. A 2020-21 First Team All-Valley selection, Day currently leads the Rambler roster in both scoring (11.0 ppg) and rebounding (5.4 rpg).
Brice Calip (MSU) - Senior Brice Calip helped lead the Lady Bears to a 2-0 start in conference play and extend their Missouri Valley Conference win streak to 21 games. Calip averaged 12 ppg and 7 rpg in the opening weekend of MVC play, while dishing out a team-high six assists. The sixth-year senior was also 16-for-19 (.842) from the free throw line over the two games. On Friday afternoon against Loyola, Calip scored six points and grabbed seven rebounds in 31 minutes on the court. She also dished out a team-high five assists with no turnovers against the Ramblers. On Sunday afternoon, Calip led the Lady Bears with 18 points, her second-most points in a game this season, and tied her season high with seven rebounds, six of which were offensive boards, against Valparaiso. The veteran tied her career highs in free throws and free throw attempts after going 12-for-14 from the charity stripe against the Beacons, while also playing all 40 minutes.
Leah Earnest (VU) - Earnest scored in double figures in both of Valpo’s games on the opening weekend of MVC play. Earnest opened the weekend by tying for team-high honors Friday with 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting at SIU, grabbed six rebounds and picked up a pair of steals. She followed with 10 points and six rebounds Sunday at Missouri State.
Megan Meyer (DU) - Meyer recorded one of the best offensive games of her career against Evansville. She tallied 19 points, 11 assists, and six rebounds – tying a season high in points and setting a career record in assists. Out of the 20 shots she took from different areas of the court, she only missed seven. Against Indiana State, she added five points and three assists for the Bulldogs. In her first season with Drake, transferred from Iowa, she has made her way into the starting lineup and continues to lead the Bulldogs offensively from the arc and with assists. She tallies eight games this season scoring in double digits.
Je’Naiya Davis (UE) - The terrific run to start her career in white and purple continued for junior guard Je’Naiya Davis over the weekend. Davis finished in double-figures in both road contests, extending her streak to nine, including every game she has played as an Ace. Davis was consistent across the weekend scoring 15 points with four boards against Drake on Saturday before recording 14 points and four boards at No. 21 Iowa on Sunday. As conference play has now begun. Davis leads The Valley in scoring, averaging 19.2 points per game.
Anna McKendree (INS) - McKendree had 10 points and four steals in Thursday’s win over Drake, giving the Sycamores a spark off the bench in their first conference game of the season. She was a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc and added a late free throw to help ice the game. Indiana State converted McKendree’s four steals into five points, while she also took two charges on the defensive end. The 10-point outing was her second straight game in double-figures.
Olivia Brown (VU) - Brown led all players in Valpo’s contest at Missouri State on Sunday, going for a game-high 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field, including 5-for-6 from the 3-point line. It was the fourth 20+ point effort of Brown’s career, but her first in the Valpo uniform. She averaged 13.5 ppg for the week, as she tallied six points on Friday at SIU as well.