The opening weekend in MVC women's basketball was filled with outstanding individual efforts from veterans and newcomers alike. Evansville's Hannah Noe registered 33 points in the Aces' victory over Murray State, while adding three rebounds and four assists en route to the league's first Player of the Week and Newcomer of the Week honors for 2017-18. Noe is a graduate transfer from Southeast Missouri State.
Much like last season, again in 2017-18 the Missouri Valley Conference will release its players of the week on Mondays, with the full women's basketball notebook available on Tuesdays, beginning tomorrow (Nov. 14).
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE PLAYER/NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK:
Hannah Noe, Gr., G, Evansville
In her first game for the Purple Aces, Noe put together one of the better offensive performances in Evansville history as the Aces captured an 89-81 win over Murray State on Sunday. The Dexter, Mo. native scored 33 points, four shy of the program single-game record, knocking-down six threes and going nine-of-nine from the charity stripe. Noe got the Aces off to a fast start in the opening quarter as she scored 14 of Evansville’s 31 first quarter points to put the Aces ahead 31-14 after 10 minutes of action. The 33 points is a career-best for Noe, whose previous career high was 29 points. Noe’s 33 points are the most by a Purple Ace since Sara Dickey set the program record with 37 points at Murray State on Dec. 3, 2014.
Noteworthy - In addition to the league's player and newcomer of the week selections, several conference players had notable performances, and they include:
Vanessa Markert (BRAD) - Markert scored a team-high 19 points on 8-for-14 shooting and led the Braves with seven rebounds and three blocks in 25 minutes as she helped Bradley to a 69-56 season-opening victory over Omaha. She was limited four points and three rebounds in seven minutes in the first half due to foul trouble as Bradley held a slim 23-22 lead at the break. In the second half, Markert made six of her final eight shots from the field and collected 15 points, four boards and three blocks over the final 20 minutes to help the Braves pull away down the stretch for the victory.
Sara Rhine (DU) - Poured in a team-high 19 points on 9-of-11 shooting and added eight rebounds in season opening win over Milwaukee. It was her first action for the Bulldogs since December 2017 after missing most of 2016-17 season due to injury. Rhine added one steal against the Panthers. The sophomore scored a team-high 14 points in loss at No. 11/11 Oregon, making 6-of-14 from the field, while adding a career-high three steals against the Ducks.
Simone Goods (ILS) - Simone added a double-double in her first official game as an ISU Redbird with 22 points and 11 rebounds. She went 8-for-16 in the field and 6-for-9 at the free throw line. Despite Goods’ efforts the Redbirds dropped to Oakland 64-43.
Ashley Taia (INS) - Taia paced the Sycamores in their season-opening game against Saint Louis with 22 points on just 6-of-9 shooting. The Brisbane, Australia product drained 3-of-4 shots from behind the arc in the game and collected two rebounds, two assists and a steal in the loss.
Kylie Giebelhausen (SIU) - Kylie Giebelhausen scored a game-high 25 points to lead SIU to an 84-72 season opening win over UT Martin on Friday, Nov. 10. Giebelhausen shot an efficient 10-of-14 (71.4%) from the field, including 3-of-5 from three-point range in the win, and added four steals, three assists and a blocked shot in 38 minutes. Her 10 field goals tied a career-best, while it marked the sixth time in her career that the Preseason All-MVC selection has scored 20-plus points. All told, it was the third-highest scoring output of her career.
Shunseere Kent (BRAD) - Kent had a big impact in her Bradley debut with the junior college transfer helping highlight Bradley’s 69-56 season-opening victory over Omaha with 17 points, six boards and one assist. With the Braves holding a slim one-point lead at the half, Kent made 6-of-8 from the field in the final 20 minutes and scored 13 of her 17 points in the second half. She also had four rebounds and one assist after halftime. Kent’s 17 points were the most by a Brave in their debut since Kelly Krumwiede had 22 points in the 2005-06 season opener against Illinois-Chicago.
Katie Van Scyoc (DU) - Scored a career-high 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting in just 10 minutes against No. 11/11 Oregon. The freshman knocked down a career-best three three-pointers and added one rebound and one assist.
Kailyn Strawbridge (LUC) - Loyola freshman guard Kailyn Strawbridge turned heads in her collegiate debut as the Ramblers opened the 2017-18 campaign on the road at Fort Wayne on Sunday afternoon. Strawbridge poured in a game-high 32 points, the most by a Rambler since 2015, on 12-of-22 shooting. The Rockford, Ill. native, who also grabbed three rebounds, knocked down four shots from beyond the three-point arc.
Makenzie Silvey (SIU) - Makenzie Silvey scored 15 points in her collegiate debut to help the Salukis earn an 84-72 win over UT Martin on Friday, Nov. 10. The Glen Carbon, Ill. native shot 50% (5-of-10) from the floor and 57% (4-of-7) from behind the arc. She also added an assist and a steal in 21 minutes of work.