Women's Basketball

MVC Women's Basketball Weekly Notebook (Dec. 23)

ST. LOUIS -- The Missouri Valley Conference announced its women's basketball weekly honors on Tuesday. For the first time this season, Murray State's Haven Ford and UIC's Julia Coleman have earned the MVC Player and Newcomer of the Week awards, respectively. For the third-straight week, and fourth time this season, Bradley's Maya Foz has been tabbed the league's Freshman of the Week.

Conference News & Notes
  • Ten of the league’s 11 schools enter the holiday break with one Conference game under their belt. Belmont, Bradley and Northern Iowa all earned an MVC win at home, while Drake and UIC picked up victories on the road.
  • The Valley finished the non-conference slate with a 50-76 (.397) record.
  • Murray State, who leads The Valley with a 9-2 ledger at the end of non-conference action, has an unblemished 4-0 record at home. Bradley (6-0) and Illinois State (5-0) join the Racers with undefeated records at home
  • The Racers carry a league-best seven-game win streak into the holiday break, while Bradley follows right behind with a four-game win streak.
  • Five teams sit inside the Top 150 of the NET. Murray State leads the way at 91. 
  • Belmont has the league’s best NET non-conference strength of schedule. The Bruins have played the ninth-strongest in all of Division I.
  • Conference play resumes on Monday, December 29, with 10 of the 11 teams in action. 
  • UIC’s win over DePaul marked the Flames’ first victory against the Blue Demons since 1981, breaking a 36-game losing streak in the series. Julia Coleman (29 points) and Jessica Carrothers (24 points) became UIC’s first 20-point scoring duo in a game since 2017.
  • Coleman’s 29 points are tied for the second-most in a game this season by a Valley player, while her 11-made field goals are the second most as well.
  • Bradley is off to its best start in program history since the 2019-20 campaign. The Braves are 8-4 through their first 12 games, the program’s best start since compiling a 10-2 ledger during the 2019-20 season. The Braves finished that season 22-7 overall and 13-5 in Valley play. 
  • Murray State became the third MVC program to notched 100-plus points in a game, powering past Lindsey Wilson, 101-44. The Racers currently lead the league, and rank 22nd nationally, averaging 82.3 points per outing.
  • In Illinois State’s 89-66 win over Oakland to wrap up non-conference action, the Redbirds shot a season-best 63.6% from the field, marking the highest single-game performance by a team in The Valley this season.
  • Murray State’s Sharnecce Currie-Jelks leads the league in scoring (20.3 ppg) and is second in rebounding (10.4 rpg) as The Valley’s lone player averaging a double-double. 
  • UNI’s Elise Jaeger continues to lead the MVC in rebounding, averaging 11.1 per contest, which is the seventh-most in Division I. Her 10.5 defensive boards per game lead the nation.
  • Four players are shooting over 50% from the floor, led by Currie Jelks at 54.7%. UNI’s Ryley Goebel (54.1%) and UIC’s Julia Coleman (51.0%) and Jessica Carrothers (50.0%) join her near the top of the list.
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PLAYER OF THE WEEK: HAVEN FORD, MURRAY STATE
Junior | Guard | Morehead, Ky. | Rowan County HS
18.5 PPG | 5.5 RPG | 6.5 APG | 3 STL
Haven Ford provided a strong week for Murray State, averaging 18.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game in a pair of decisive wins by the Racers. In Murray State’s 85–57 victory over Memphis, Ford nearly notched a triple-double with 14 points, eight rebounds and a season-high eight assists. Ford followed that up with a game-high 23 points, just a point shy of her season-high, in Murray State’s 101–44 rout of Lindsey Wilson to lead all scorers. She made a season-high eight field goals, including four from behind the 3-point arc, while adding five assists, three rebounds and a steal.

NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK: JULIA COLEMAN, UIC
Redshirt Sophomore | Forward | St. Louis, Mo. | Texas State
21.0 PPG | 52% FG | 6.5 RPG | 6 AST | 3 BLK
UIC’s redshirt-sophomore forward Julia Coleman delivered a standout week for the Flames, anchoring the team on both ends of the floor. In UIC’s big 77–67 win over DePaul, Coleman was the centerpiece of the offense, pouring in a career- and team-high 29 points while also hauling in eight rebounds in the victory over the Blue Demons. She was extremely efficient, going 11-for-20 from the field and 7-for-10 at the free-throw line. In the Flames’ final non-conference game against Austin Peay, Coleman again led UIC with 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting, adding five assists and five rebounds in 37 minutes of action. For the week, she averaged 21.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK: MAYA FOZ, BRADLEY
Freshman | Guard | Ontario, Canada | Fort Erie International Academy 
12.5 PPG | 45% FG | 3.5 RPG | 4 AST
Bradley freshman guard Maya Foz continued her strong debut season with an impactful two-game stretch as the Braves closed non-con play on a four-game winning streak. Against Southern Illinois, Foz contributed 10 points and five rebounds in 26 minutes, helping Bradley secure a 64–47 win with steady play on both ends of the floor. She followed that performance with a game-high 15 points in Bradley’s 62–61 victory over Northern Kentucky, shooting an efficient 6-of-11 in 23 minutes. Over the week, Foz averaged 12.5 points per game, shot 45 percent from the field and dished out four assists.