NOTEBOOK (PDF)
End of Non-League Play
Just 14 non-conference games remain on the MVC regular-season schedule as we head into the holiday break, while the first league games will begin on December 29.
Another Power Five Win
The Missouri Valley Conference now has three wins over Power Five opponents this season, following Missouri State’s dominating 90-59 win over Northwestern in Springfield Saturday. With Saturday’s win, the Lady Bears are now 7-2 all-time at home against the Big Ten. Last season, the MVC finished the non-conference schedule with six wins over members of Power Five conferences.
MVC Wins over Power Five Teams:
Nov. 14 Iowa State at UNI W, 57-53
Nov. 30 Iowa State at Drake W, 83-80
Dec. 16 Northwestern at Missouri State W, 90-59
This week, the MVC non-conference schedule finishes with four games against Power Five schools, including #25 Iowa (Drake), Alabama (Missouri State), Miami (Southern Illinois) and Kansas State (UNI).
Season For Giving
Valparaiso’s Maya Meredith dished out 16 assists, shattering a single-game program record of 14 that had stood since 1992, in her first career start on Dec. 15. What makes Meredith’s 16 assists even more impressive is that she did it without making any turnovers. Valpo’s previous record-holder was Shari Toelke, who had 14 against Marquette on Jan. 15, 1992. Meredith became just the 11th player in MVC history to reach 16 assists in a game, a mark that is tied for sixth in conference history. Her 16 assists rank second in the nation this season behind only Syracuse’s Tiana Mangakahia, who had 17 against Vanderbilt on Nov. 24.
Senior Leaders
Seven league seniors are leading their respective teams in scoring, including Evansville’s Hannah Noe (18.1 ppg), Valparaiso’s Dani Franklin (17.9 ppg), Missouri State’s Liza Fruendt (17.0 ppg), Southern Illinois’ Kylie Giebelhausen (13.4 ppg), Illinois State’s Hannah Green (13.1 ppg), UNI’s Kennedy Kirkpatrick (11.6 ppg) and Loyola’s Jessica Cerda (9.7 ppg).
Home Sweet Home
Currently two MVC teams remain perfect at home: Bradley (3-0) and Valparaiso (4-0) have unblemished records on their home courts this season. Valparaiso improved to 4-0 at home on Friday against IU-Northwest. It’s the first 4-0 start at home for the Crusaders since 2007-08 (started 5-0 that season).
Knocking Down Freebies
Evansville is among the best in the nation in converting opportunities at the charity stripe. On the year, the Aces currently sit third in the nation in free-throw shooting percentage, hitting 81.1% of its attempts from the line with six players shooting 80% or better individually including a pair of student-athletes in junior guard Kerri Gasper and freshman guard Kayla Casteel who are perfect from the charity stripe.
The RPI Ratings Game
The latest installment of the NCAA RPI Report (Dec. 18) has four Valley teams that rank in the top-200, led by Bradley at No. 109, UNI at No. 154, Drake at 175 and Missouri State at No. 191.
Against the Field
The MVC holds a winning record against four leagues in non-conference play, including the Big 12 (2-1) , Big South (2-1), Southland (1-0) and WAC (4-0). The MVC holds at least a .500 mark against five other conferences: American (2-2), Big Sky (1-1), Mountain West (1-1), Ohio Valley (6-6) and SWAC (1-1).
Sharing the Rock
Currently, Drake ranks fourth nationally in assists per game, averaging 22.5 per contest. The Bulldogs are in great company, sitting behind Iowa, Oregon State and Baylor, while ranking one spot ahead of UConn. The Bulldogs will face the top ranked assist team in the country Thursday in Iowa City.
Assists Per Game
1. Iowa 23.8
2. Oregon State 23.7
3. Baylor 23.5
4. Drake 22.5
5. UConn 22.4