Illinois State and UNI both sit with only one Valley loss entering this week’s schedule. Illinois State sits 7-1 in Valley play for the first time since 2009-10 when the Redbirds started 15-1 in MVC action on the way to a regular season title. UNI is off to the program’s best start in Valley play since the 2016-17 team opened 8-0 on the way to a 15-3 second-place Valley finish.
Nothing But NET
The NCAA NET Report (Jan. 23) has four Valley teams that rank in the top-100, including six of the 12 sitting in the top 120. Drake leads the way at No. 51 with UNI (61), Illinois State (87) and Belmont (97), rounding out the schools in the Top 100. Murray State (112) and Missouri State (117) rank in the top 120.
Only seven other leagues have six or more teams in the Top 120 of the NET (ACC, American, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, MVC, Pac-12 and SEC.)
Warren’s Climb to the Top
UNI Head Coach Tanya Warren continues her pursuit to becoming the MVC’s all-time leader in games coached. Warren coached her 501st game Saturday vs. UIC and tied Illinois State’s Jill Hutchison for second all-time in Valley history. Warren will pass Hutchison on Thursday at Missouri State.
MOST GAMES COACHED
Name, School (Years) Games
Cindy Scott, Southern Illinois (1983-98) 506
Jill Hutchison, Illinois State (1983-99) 501
Tanya Warren, UNI (2008-present) 501
Sharp Shooter
Illinois State’s Mary Crompton continues her move up The Valley career three-point field goal list. The graduate student hit six three-point field goals over the weekend and moved up from 13th to 6th on The Valley’s all-time list. Crompton is five triples away from Missouri State’s Kari Koch for 5th on The Valley list.
3-Point Field Goals Made (Career)
1. 314 - Gabi Haack, Bradley 2017-22
2. 294 - Dayna Finch, Creighton 2001-04
3. 277 - Rishonda Napier, Southern Illinois 2014-17
4. 276 - Brittany Schoen, Indiana State 2008-12
5. 271 - Kari Koch, Missouri State 2002-06
6. 266 - Lindsay Whorton, Drake 2004-08
266 - Makenzie Silvey, Southern Illinois 2017-22
266 - Mary Crompton, Illinois State 2018-pres.
High Percentage
Illinois State enters this week ranking 17th nationally in three-point FG% (37.0%). The Redbirds’ Mary Crompton enters the week ranking 13th nationally in three-point FG% (45.6%) to pace the league.
The Valley as a whole is shooting 32.98% from behind the arc this season, ranking 4th nationally among NCAA DI Conferences.
Three-Point Field Goal Percentage (By Conference)
1. Big Ten 34.17%
2. Big East 34.09%
3. Pac-12 33.02%
4. MVC 32.98%
5. WCC 32.79%
1,000 Point Club
The Valley now has 12 active players in the 1,000 point club. Fifth-year senior Sydney Wilson became the 31st Lady Bear in program history to eclipse 1,000 career points with an eight-point, 11-rebound performance at Belmont last Friday night. Following a 12-point outing two days later in MSU’s win at Murray State, Wilson now ranks 30th all-time in the MSU record books with 1,017 points in her career.
BEL: Impressive Home Win
Belmont’s 56-point, 101-45 win Sunday over the Salukis was the Bruins’ largest margin of victory against a NCAA Division I opponent.
Coach Brooks won his 60th game at the Curb Event Center Sunday versus Southern Illinois. He is 60-11 (.845) at home in six seasons guiding Belmont.
The Bruins are coming off a stretch of facing six-straight teams who earned a national postseason berth last season. 13 of Belmont’s first 18 opponents won no fewer than 19 games a year ago and reached a national postseason tournament.
BU: Career Day
Bradley’s Alex Rouse had a career game on Sunday vs. Indiana State, setting a new personal best for points with 18. Rouse also had four rebounds, three assists, one block and two steals in the loss to the Sycamores.
DU: Third Time’s the Charm
The Drake Bulldogs got back on track with a pair of home wins over MVC foes UIC (1/19) and Valparaiso (1/21). With their two wins over the Flames and Beacons, Drake has now won three-straight games, their third three-game winning streak of the season. The Bulldogs took down UIC in a defensive slugfest, 63-51, before coming back to throttle Valpo for their second 30+ point win in Valley play, 84-51. Drake will continue their MVC schedule with another three-game run, this time on the road. The Bulldogs are set for trips to Southern Illinois (1/26), Missouri State (1/28), and UNI (2/1).
UE: Margin Call
On Friday, the Aces earned an 73-56 win over Bradley in a road MVC matchup in Peoria, Ill. Evansville’s 17-point margin in the win over Bradley is its largest against an MVC foe since an 81-50 victory at Loyola Chicago on March 2, 2017.
UIC: Returning Home
After playing the past week in the state of Iowa, the Flames were unsuccessful in games against Drake (63-51) and UNI (79-44), going 0-2. They look to bounce back coming back home this week when they host Bradley and Illinois State.
ILS: Gillespie’s Milestone
Kristen Gillespie achieved her 100th career win as head coach of the Redbirds Sunday, in a 78-46 win over the Purple Aces of Evansville. The 32-point margin stands as the largest margin of victory over an MVC opponent in her tenure at Illinois State; previous high was 30 at Indiana State in January 2021. The 100 wins makes Gillespie 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: Second Chances
Indiana State has developed a penchant for extending possessions this season, as the Sycamores rank second in the MVC in offensive rebounds per game with 12.4. The Sycamores have pulled down double-digit rebounds in each of the last four games, and nine of the last 11 overall dating back to mid-December. Indiana State has turned those extra possessions into an 10.6 second chance points per game, while scoring 12 or more second chance points in each of the last three games.
MOST: Successful Newcomers
Lady Bear newcomers Kennedy Taylor and Aniya Thomas continue to make a major impact on MSU’s squad. Taylor is currently riding a streak of 10 consecutive double-digit scoring performances, while Thomas’ streak sits at nine such games. Since the start of Missouri Valley Conference play, Taylor has posted five double-doubles and Thomas has logged three 20-point performances. Each of them have earned two MVC Newcomer of the Week honors this season, as Thomas leads the Lady Bears with 16.5 points per game and Taylor averages a double-double (13.9 points/game and 10.4 rebounds/game) against Valley foes.
MUR: Young’s Great Numbers
Katelyn Young is one of the most dominant players in the nation, averaging 20.9 points per game and 7.9 rebounds. She is currently 14th in the nation in points per game, 44th in field goal percentage (53.6) and 50th in the nation in free throw percentage (86.6).
UNI: Milestones Achieved
Two UNI players set career records against UIC on Saturday afternoon. Senior Kam Finley moved into 9th in the record book in three-pointers made with 156 treys. She moves past current Assistant Coach Kaitlyn Oney for the spot in the record book. Junior Rachael Heittola also made her 1,000th NCAA career point between her time at Bemidji State and UNI.
SIU: Stealin’ the Rock
No team in the Valley has had more success in terms of steals than the Salukis this season. Southern Illinois is averaging a league-high 10.18 steals-per-game, which also ranks 42nd in the nation. Both Quierra Love (2.2) and Jaidynn Mason (1.7) rank inside the top five in the MVC in the category.
VU: Step Out of Conference
Valpo will have a rare chance to compete in nonconference action in the middle of the conference schedule on Wednesday evening when it plays Wisconsin in Madison in a makeup of a postponed game from Dec. 22. It is the first time Valpo has played a nonconference game after the start of league play since the 2008-09 campaign, when Valpo played Chicago State in mid-February. It’s the first time the program has gone on the road for a nonconference game after the onset of league play since a game at IPFW in mid-January of the 2006-07 season.
HerHoopStats.com Stat of the Week
Maya McDermott of UNI is the only player in Division I to average at least 55% on two-point attempts, 38% on three-point attempts, and 88% from the free-throw line while making at least three two-pointers per game, one three-pointer per game, and two free throws per game this season.
