Women's Basketball

MVC Women's Basketball Weekly Notebook (Dec. 15)

ST. LOUIS -- The Missouri Valley Conference announced its women's basketball weekly award winners on Monday. Belmont's Tuti Jones was named the MVC Player of the Week while Indiana State's Clemisha Prackett was recognized as the league's Newcomer of the Week. For the second-straight week, and third time this season, Bradley's Maya Foz was tabbed the MVC Freshman of the Week. 

Conference News & Notes
  • Three more Missouri Valley Conference contests are on the slate this week. Drake travels to face Indiana State while Evansville is at Belmont on Wednesday. Southern Illinois will head north to play Bradley on Thursday.
  • Three programs are inside the Top 150 of the NET that was issued on Monday. Belmont (84), Murray State (92) and UNI (124) lead the way for The Valley.
  • Despite not playing last week, Murray State’s Sharnecce Currie-Jelks moved up five spots to No. 11 in Division I in points per game. The league newcomer is averaging a Conference-best 21.7 points per outing and is one of just 23 nationally who are averaging over 20.0 points per contest.
  • Currie-Jelks is the lone player in The Valley averaging a double-double, adding 10.8 rebounds to her 21.7 points per game. 
  • Northern Iowa’s Elise Jaeger is averaging a league-best 11.2 rebounds per game, ranking seventh in Division I in the category. She leads the nation in defensive rebounds a game, averaging 10.7.
  • Three programs - Murray State (79.9), Indiana State (73.8) and Bradley (73.2) - enter the week averaging over 70.0 points per game.
  • Indiana State’s reserves continue to be among the best nationally, averaging the fourth-most points (35.4) in Division I. 
  • Bradley edged South Dakota, 65-62, at home last week. Three starters finished in double figures, led by rookie Maya Foz’s 14-point, six-rebound performance. 
  • A trio of players are shooting over 50% from the field. Murray State’s Sharnecce Currie-Jelks leads the way at 56.5%, while UNI’s Ryley Goebel (52.8%) and UIC’s Julia Coleman (50.8%) follow closely behind.
  • Bradley’s Kaylen Nelson has made a Conference-leading 33 3-point field goals this season, which is the 15th-most nationally, while Drake’s Grace Knutson is shooting a league-leading 48.4% from behind the arc.
  • Valparaiso’s Allia von Schlegell tallied two more double-digit scoring outputs last week in a pair of setbacks by the Beacons, bringing her season total to five, matching the most by a Valpo rookie during the non-conference slate since the 2015-16 season.
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PLAYER OF THE WEEK: TUTI JONES, BELMONT
Graduate | Guard | Troy, Ala. | Charles Henderson HS
24 PTS | 55% FG | 10 REB | 3 STL
Belmont’s Tuti Jones turned in a standout performance against No. 15 Kentucky, pouring in a season-high 24 points to lead all scorers in
Belmont’s matchup with the Wildcats. The graduate guard was efficient from the floor, knocking down four three-pointers and going a perfect 8-for-8 at the free-throw line, while also pulling down a season-best 10 rebounds for her fourth career double-double. The effort marked the 80th double-figure scoring game of her career and continued a strong stretch in which Jones has reached double figures in four of her last five outings.

NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK: CLEMISHA PRACKETT, INDIANA STATE
Junior | Forward | West Memphis, Ark. | Mississippi Valley State
12 PTS | 40% FG | 15 REB
In her third-straight start, Indiana State’s Clemisha Prackett recorded her fourth double-double fo the season with a 12-point, 15-rebound performance against Butler. The newcomer shot 40% from the floor, as her 12 points mark her second-highest output of the year. Her season-high 15 rebounds marked the fifth time this season she has finished in double figures on the boards.

FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK: MAYA FOZ, BRADLEY
Freshman | Guard | Ontario, Canada | Fort Erie International Academy 
14.0 PPG | 56% FG | 6.00 RPG | 2 STL
Freshman standout Maya Foz delivered a game-leading performance as Bradley secured a hard-fought 65–62 victory over South Dakota, helping the Braves earn the only win in the Missouri Valley Conference last week. She notched a team-high 14 points to go with a career-best six rebounds against the Coyotes, who entered the week at No. 14 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll.