Six teams enter the week tied for first at the top of the MVC women’s basketball standings. Belmont, Drake, Illinois State, Missouri State, UNI and Southern Illinois all sit 3-1 after the first two weeks of league play. The Valley is the only league nationally with a six-way tie for first at this point of the season.
This week’s schedule features travel partner games on Wednesday and Thursday with one of the two season single plays occurring over the weekend.
Nothing But NET
The NCAA NET Report (Jan. 9) has four Valley teams that rank in the top-100, including six of the 12 sitting in the top 125. Drake leads the way at No. 48 with UNI (68), Belmont (93) and Illinois State (97), rounding out the schools in the Top 100. Murray State (107) and Missouri State (122) rank in the top 125.
Only seven other leagues have six or more teams in the Top 125 of the NET (ACC, American, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, MVC, Pac-12 and SEC.)
BEL: Bounce Back Win
Belmont bounced back from its worst conference loss since January 2011 (ASUN) following the Bruins’ 31-point setback at Drake Friday (94-63) with a gritty win at Northern Iowa Sunday. Sunday’s 67-61 victory over the host Panthers is Belmont’s first-ever MVC road win. After facing Drake and Northern Iowa, two 20-win teams from a season ago who reached the WNIT, nine of the Bruins’ 14 opponents thus far won at least 20 games and reached a national postseason tournament last year.
BU: Rivalry Time
The Bradley Braves are looking for their first conference win after an 0-4 start to the league schedule. Bradley is ready to host rival Illinois State on Thursday night. Caroline Waite and Alex Rouse are leading the Braves in scoring, both averaging over 12 points per game.
DU: Bulldogs Bounce Back
Drake got back on track this week with a pair of convincing home victories to improve to 8-4 overall and 3-1 in MVC play. The Bulldogs returned to the Knapp Center for Des Moines’ Hometown Team Weekend where they took care of MVC-newcomers Belmont (1/6) and Murray State (1/8). Drake lit up the scoreboard in their first contest of the weekend, scoring 90+ points for the second time this season in a 94-63 blowout of the Bruins. The Bulldogs continued to their hot streak two days later with an 80-67 victory over Murray State. Drake will remain in Des Moines for their next matchup when rival UNI comes to town on Wednesday, Jan. 11.
UE: Elite at the Line
Showing their seniority, fifth-year guard Myia Clark and senior guard/forward Abby Feit have been two of the best in the nation at hitting free throws. Both Clark and Feit sit inside the top 100 in the nation in free-throw percentage with Clark averaging 85.2% and Feit hitting her free-throws at an 83.3% clip.
UIC: Program’s 1st Valley Win
After failing to win in the first three games in their first season of MVC play, the Flames defeated Evansville 57-53 to secure their first win in their new conference. Not only had the Flames secure their first MVC win in program history, but the Flames broke a five-game losing streak that dated back to early December. They currently now sit 8th in the conference standings with plenty of MVC action ahead of them.
ILS: Gillespie Gets Win #200
Kristen Gillespie achieved her 200th career win last Thursday, with a 67-63 win on the road over Missouri State. The Redbird head coach also moved her ISU win total to 96 overall over the weekend after picking up the wins over Missouri State and Southern Illinois. Gillespie is looking to become the first Redbird head coach to amass 100 career wins at ISU since current Missouri head coach Robin Pingeton, who finished her ISU coaching career with a mark of 144-81 over seven seasons.
INS: Sweeping the Weekend
Indiana State’s 2-0 road trip at UIC and Valparaiso last week was its first 2-0 weekend in Missouri Valley Conference play since Jan. 26-28, 2018, when the Sycamores took down Loyola Chicago and Valparaiso. Indiana State’s last three-game road win streak in MVC play also came during that span, as the Sycamores followed that road trip with a win at Evansville. Indiana State has a chance to match that Wednesday night when the Sycamores face Evansville.
MOST: Tough on the Boards
The Missouri State Lady Bears continue to have success on the boards this season. MSU ranks 6th nationally and 1st in the Missouri Valley Conference with 17.8 offensive rebounds per game, while ranking 2nd in the conference and 19th in the country in total rebound average with 43.4 per game. Missouri State also owns a +10.8 rebound margin, which is second in the conference and 12th nationally. Rebounding has been an advantage for the Lady Bears over the years, as they have outrebounded 68 of their last 79 MVC opponents and won the rebounding battle 114 times in their last 137 contests overall.
MUR: What a Day!
Katelyn Young set a season-high for the Racers for points in the first half Sunday with 28. The junior ended the first 20 minutes of the game by scoring 28 of her team’s 32 points. Young finished with a career-high 43 points, which is the third most points scored by a Racer in program history and most scored by a Valley player since 2017. The 19 field goals scored by Young Sunday tied the program record that was set by Joi Scott in 2006. She is now just one of five players in MVC history to score 19 or more field goals in a game, joining Drake’s Lorri Baumann and Wanda Ford, Missouri State’s Jackie Stiles and Indiana State’s Melanie Boeglin.
UNI: Cold Snap
The Panthers had their coldest night on the floor this season against Belmont. UNI only shot 31% from the floor and 29.2% from three-point range. The Panthers were only 5-29 through the second quarter for the team’s quietest quarter of the season.
SIU: Solid Valley Start
Southern Illinois starts 3-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference for the second-straight year as they start their second road week of the conference season. The Salukis will play at Missouri State on Wednesday, a place they haven’t won since 1996, before heading to Chicago to take on new-member UIC on Saturday.
VU: Doubling Up
Junior Leah Earnest registered yet another double-double against Indiana State on Saturday, finishing with 10 points and 10 rebounds. The Valley leader in rebounds (8.7/game), Earnest has paced Valpo on the glass in 10 of the Beacons’ 12 games and has been in double figures in boards six times. Her five double-doubles this season are the most by a Valpo player since Dani Franklin had five in the 2017-18 season.
HerHoopStats Stat of the Week
Katelyn Young of Murray State had 43 points and 10 rebounds against Drake on Sunday. That performance was one of two 43-point 10-rebound performances in NCAA Division I this season.
