Women's Basketball

MVC Women's Basketball Weekly Notebook (Nov. 10)

ST. LOUIS -- The Missouri Valley Conference announced its women's basketball weekly award winners. Drake's Abbie Aalsma and Anna Becker were named the MVC Player and Freshman of the Week, respectively. UIC's Jessica Carrothers has been named the MVC Newcomer of the Week.

Conference News & Notes
  • Ninth-year Belmont head coach, Bart Brooks, is one win away from 200 in his career. He currently has a career record of 199-69. 
  • The Bruins will play their second ranked opponent in three games when it travels to face No. 12 Tennessee. Valparaiso has a road trip to No. 16 Iowa State, while UNI and Drake will each face No. 21 Iowa this week.
  • Bradley’s bench scored 51 points against Judson College, putting the Braves sixth in Division I in bench points per game heading into week two.
  • Drake opened its 2024-25 campaign with an 83-65 win at Eastern Illinois to start 1-0 on the year. The Bulldog win marked the 11th-straight year Drake has won a season opener.
  • Reigning MVC Freshman of the Year, Camryn Runner, led all scorers and notched her first career double-double with 26 points and 11 rebounds in Evansville’s season opener at SEMO.
  • UIC’s Sara Zabrecky is seven triples away from notching 100 in a Flames uniform. 
  • Illinois State moved to 6-3 in season openers under the direction of head coach Kristen Gillespie after starting the season with a 87-76 win over Dayton. The Redbirds have won four-straight season openers and six of the last seven.
  • The Sycamores also have no freshmen on their 2025-26 roster and are one of five programs in Division I without a true or redshirt freshman on their current roster (the others are Arkansas State, Southern Illinois, Texas Tech and UL-Monroe). 
  • Haven Ford hit a buzzer beater as the Racers beat Southern Indiana, 79-77. Halli Poock went 13-for-13 from the charity stripe, matching the program’s best single-game percentage with at least 10 attempts.
  • UNI’s Virginia Edmondson notched a career-high 13 points and eight rebounds at SLU, while the Panthers extended their active program-record 548-game 3-pointer streak with six against the Billikens.
  • Southern Illinois opened the season with a 69-53 decision over Lewis on its home court. Newcomer Alayna Kraus led the Salukis with 16 points on 55% shooting from the floor.
  • Four days after surpassing her previous career high by scoring 12 points at DePaul, Valparaiso’s Fiona Connolly flew by that mark Saturday to set her new standard with 19 points. The senior, who also set a career high with seven made field goals, tied for game-high honors in that department and was also just one rebound shy of a double-double, pulling down a team-high and career-best nine boards.
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PLAYER OF THE WEEK: ABBIE AALSMA, DRAKE
Senior | Guard | Waupun, Wis. | Waupun HS
22.5 PPG | 55% FG | 50% 3PT FG
Drake senior Abbie Aalsma opened the season on fire, averaging 22.5 points, 3.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game while shooting 55% from the field and 50% from three-point range. She tallied 22 points with three assists in a win at Eastern Illinois and followed with 23 points and three rebounds against Creighton, pacing the Bulldogs’ offense in both contests.

NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK: JESSICA CARROTHERS, UIC
Senior | Guard | Highland, Ind. | Butler/IU Northwest
22.5 PPG | 4.0 RPG | 63% FG
UIC guard Jessica Carrothers was dominant in the Flames’ opening week, averaging 22.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game on 63% shooting. She poured in 28 points on 14-of-20 shooting against Robert Morris before adding 17 points, four rebounds, and three assists at Indiana. Carrothers’ scoring efficiency ranked among the best in the MVC during opening week.

FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK: ANNA BECKER, DRAKE
Freshman | Guard | Topeka, Kan. | Seaman HS
13.5 PPG | 6.5 RPG | 50% FG
Drake freshman Anna Becker made an immediate impact in her collegiate debut, averaging 13.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game while shooting 50% from the floor. Becker scored 22 points with seven rebounds and 10 made free throws in a season-opening win at Eastern Illinois, then added five points and six boards against Creighton.