NOTEBOOK (PDF)
Five Valley women's basketball teams are taking part in tournaments during the Thanksgiving holiday, beginning with games on Thanksgiving.
Indiana State - Cancun Tournament (Nov. 23-24)
Missouri State - Junkanoo Jam (Nov. 23-24)
Bradley - SEMO Classic (Nov. 24-25)
Drake - Rocky Mountain Hoops Classic (Nov. 24-25)
UNI - UFC Tournament (Nov. 25-26)
Power Five Win For Panthers
Northern Iowa claimed the MVC’s first win over a Power Five opponent, beating Iowa State 57-53 in Cedar Falls Tuesday. The win for UNI was its first over Iowa State since 2002, as the victory snapped a 15-game streak for the Cyclones.
Power Five Up Ahead
UNI’s win over Iowa State is currently the MVC’s only win over a Power Five opponent this season. This week, the MVC schedule features one game against a Power Five school as Missouri will face #8 Baylor in the Bahamas on Thursday.
Approaching 1,000
With her 14 points in the win over Memphis, Kylie Giebelhausen is now 17 points shy of becoming the 25th Saluki to score 1,000 career points. In doing so, she will also become the third player in the Valley with 1,000 career points, joining Valparaiso’s Dani Franklin (1,262 points) and Missouri State’s Liza Fruendt (1,202 points).
Winner
The Redbirds captured their first win under the direction of first-year head coach Kristen Gillespie on Wednesday. Prior to their meeting, Northern Kentucky led the all-time series 4-2 and the Redbirds were 0-2 at home versus the Norse. With Gillespie’s direction the Redbirds put a mark on the winning side at home.
International Success
Missouri State will leave the United States for the first time since 2012 this week when they head to Bimini, Bahamas, for the Junkanoo Jam. The Lady Bears have historically been very good outside the United States, owning an 11-5 all-time record in international games.
Senior Leaders
Five league seniors are leading their respective teams in scoring, including Valpo’s Dani Franklin (26.0 ppg), Missouri State’s Liza Fruendt (17.0 ppg), Evansville’s Hannah Noe (16.3 ppg), UNI’s Kennedy Kirkpatrick (16.0 ppg) and Indiana State’s Wendi Bibbins (13.0 ppg). One other senior, Evansville’s Brooke Dossett (13.7 ppg), also ranks amongst the Valley’s top-10 in scoring.
Mid-Major Top-25 Poll
Drake appeared in the latest (Nov. 14) CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25. The Bulldogs currently sit seventh in the poll. Drake is joined by Missouri State (15) and UNI (10), which are receiving votes in the poll.
Charity Stripers
Four Valley players are currently perfect from the free-throw line so far this season, including Evansville’s Kerri Gasper (9-of-9), Southern Illinois’ Brittney Patrick (8-of-8), Valparaiso’s Dani Franklin (4-of-4) and Valparaiso’s Bryce Blood (3-of-3). Just 43 players in all of NCAA DI have made every free throw attempt this season.
Strong On the Boards
UNI’s Megan Maahs currently ranks third nationally in rebounds per contest (10.0 rpg). The sophomore is one of 10 players currently averaging 10 or more rebounds a game this season.