2024-25 MVC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL QUICK LINKS -- #ValleyHoops
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Player of the Week: Kayba Laube, UNI
Newcomer of the Week: Elyce Knudsen, Illinois State
Freshman of the Week: Doneelah Washington, Illinois State

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: KAYBA LAUBE, UNI
5-9 | Sr. | Guard | Marion, Iowa
UNI’s Kayba Laube finished the Paradise Jam Island Tournament with 66 total points including a 20-point performance against Kansas and a career-high 34-point performance in a win over Pitt. In that 34-point performance, Laube set a new UNI single-game record and Paradise Jam Tournament single-game record with 10 three-pointers and became just the fifth MVC athlete to break the 10-three-pointer threshold. Laube shot 62.1% from beyond the arc including 66.7% in the Panthers’ 16-point blowout of Pittsburgh. Laube added 15 rebounds, five assists, and three steals to her weekend total as well.

NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK: ELYCE KNUDSEN, ILLINOIS STATE
5-8 | Gr. | Guard |Philo, Ill.
Illinois State’s Elyce Knudsen averaged 14.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals on 17-for-29 (58.6%) shooting from the field and 5-for-8 shooting from deep (62.5%) as Illinois State went 2-1 at the Gulf Coast Showcase in Fort Myers, Fla. She shined in a win over New Mexico State on Sunday, scoring 23 points, a high for her Redbird career, and posting her second 20-point performance in just five appearances in the season. Knudsen caught fire late in the third quarter for the Redbirds, scoring 18 points over the final 11 minutes of the game. She scored 13-straight points for Illinois State from the 1:44 mark of the third quarter to the 8:43 mark of the fourth quarter.

FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK: DONEELAH WASHINGTON, Illinois State
6-1 | Fr. | Forward | Lincoln, Neb.
Illinois State’s Doneelah Washington came off the bench and scored in double figures for the first time in her career, then did so a second-consecutive game for the first time in her career as Illinois State went 2-1 at the Gulf Coast Showcase. She averaged 8.6 points and 6.3 rebounds on 10-for-16 (62.5%) shooting from the field for the Redbirds. Washington tallied 11 points and 9 rebounds in 19 minutes of a 70-49 win over High Point on Saturday, narrowly missing out on her first-career double-double. Her nine rebounds marked a high for her young career. The performance followed a mark of 10 points and five rebounds to open the tournament Saturday against Boise State.