Southern Illinois' Nicole Martin averaged 23.0 points, on 62.5% shooting from the field, in road contests against Drake and UNI, earning her first career MVC Player of the Week honor. Missouri State freshman Emily Gartner averaged 14.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game as the Lady Bears split weekend road games with UNI and Drake, earning her first Newcomer of the Week honor.
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Nicole Martin, So., F, Southern Illinois
Southern Illinois sophomore Nicole Martin averaged 23.0 points on 62.5% (20-for-32) shooting from the field in SIU’s two road games over the weekend. She opened the weekend by pouring in 24 points on 11-of-15 shooting at Drake on Friday night, and followed with a game-high 22 points to go along with three blocks, three rebounds and two steals at Northern Iowa on Sunday. The back-to-back 20-plus point outputs were the first of Martin’s career, and she has now reached double figures in eight-straight games.
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK:
Emily Gartner, Fr., C, Missouri State
Missouri State freshman Emily Gartner finished with consecutive career high scoring totals in two road games last week, averaging 14 points and 6.5 rebounds, while shooting 70 percent from the floor. Friday at UNI, Gartner shot 5-of-6 from the floor for 10 points, five boards, an assist and a steal. Sunday, the redshirt freshman posted 18 points on 9-of-14 shooting, adding eight boards, two blocks and an assist in 21 minutes at Drake.
Noteworthy - In addition to the league's player and newcomer of the week selections, several conference players had notable performances, and they include:
Gabi Haack (BRAD) - Haack turned in a pair of double-doubles last week, averaging 11.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game while shooting 90 percent from the free throw line. She helped highlight Friday’s home victory against Valparaiso with 13 points and a season-high 11 rebounds to go with two assists. Haack followed it up with her second straight double-double and her third of the season Sunday against Loyola with 10 points and 10 rebounds in a season-high 38 minutes. Haack has scored in double figures 12 times this season for the most games by a Bradley freshman with 10 or more points since Katie Yohn had 16 such outings as a freshman in 2009-10.
Maddy Dean (DU) - Coming off the bench, Dean averaged 16.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals while shooting a blistering 57.9 percent from the floor (11-of-19), an impressive 50 percent from behind three three-point line (6-of-12) and 83.3 percent from the free throw line (5-of-6), to help Drake win home games over Southern Illinois and Missouri State. Friday against Missouri State, Dean scored a season-high 20 points, going 7-of-11 from the field, including tying a season-best with three three-pointers. She pulled down a season-high 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the year and the eighth of her career. She added three assists and two steals in 25 minutes. In Sunday’s victory over Missouri State, Dean scored 13 points on a 4-of-8 shooting performance, equaling her season-best for three-pointers once again with three. She added three rebounds, three assists and one steal in 20 minutes. This season, Dean, who missed all of 2016-17 due to injury, is averaging 9.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. She has scored double-figures in five of the past six games. In league games, Dean averages 11.2 points and a league-best 4.0 assists per game.
Kerri Gasper (UE) - Junior Kerri Gasper continued her strong last two weeks with a career-day against Indiana State on Friday night. Gasper scored a career-best 26 points, pulling-down 10 rebounds and tallying a pair of assists and steals and one block. Over the last four games, the Olmsted Township, Ohio native averaged 18 points and six rebounds per contest. In the MVC, Gasper leads the conference in assists per game (3.9) and sits tied for sixth in three-pointers made per game (1.8), eighth in scoring average (12.2), tied for 11th in steals per game (1.2), and 13th in rebounding average (5.5).
Katrina Beck (ILS) - Katrina Beck paced the Redbirds to a two-win weekend, averaging 13.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game. She snuck away with four steals in the win against Loyola, which tied her career high. The junior guard went 3-for-6 behind the arc on Friday and her shot was a key component to the Redbird win. Loyola trailed by two with 1:08 to play, but was shut down after Beck netted her third and final 3-pointer to put the Redbirds ahead by five with 42 seconds to play.
Regan Wentland (INS) - Regan Wentland led Indiana State and scored a career-high 18 points in the Sycamores’ 66-57 win over Evansville on Friday. She was a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc and an impressive 7-for-9 from the field overall with two blocks, two rebounds and an assist. The win, Indiana State’s fifth in a row, vaulted the Trees into fourth place after an 0-2 start to the league season and secured a season sweep of the Purple Aces for the third time in four years.
Kailyn Strawbridge (LUC) - Loyola freshman Kailyn Strawbridge averaged 14.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists as Loyola split a pair of games in Central Illinois over the weekend. After chipping in 11 points, three rebounds and an assist in Friday’s 57-49 setback at Illinois State, the Rockford, Ill. native poured in a team-high 17 points to go along with a rebound, three assists and a steal as Loyola defeated host Bradley, 71-61, on Sunday afternoon in Peoria, Ill. Strawbridge, who knocked down a career-high tying four three-point attempts against the Braves, currently ranks third on the Rambler roster in scoring, averaging 8.1 points per game.
Aubrey Buckley (MSU) - Aubrey Buckley averaged a double-double for the week with 15 points and 10.5 rebounds, adding four total steals and drawing her 18th charge of the season Sunday at Drake. Buckley finished the Drake game with 22 points and 16 rebounds, both career highs, becoming the Lady Bear since Whitney Edie in December 2012 to have a 20-point, 15-rebound game. The 16 rebounds also tied for the 11th-best single-game total in school history. Additionally, Buckley netted a career day with an 11-for-14 showing at the foul line. Friday, Buckley tallied eight points, five boards and three steals in MSU’s win at UNI.
Ellie Howell (UNI) - Howell scored in double figures twice as the Panthers split games against Missouri State and Southern Illinois over the weekend. The redshirt junior scored 11 points in defeat to the Bears, while earning 17 points in a victory against the Salukis. Howell also nabbed five rebounds, while dishing out three assists in Sunday’s 71-63 win. On the season, Howell has scored in double figures 13 times, with nine of those coming in MVC games.
Simone Goods (ILS) - Simone Goods led the Redbirds over Valparaiso on Sunday, securing a career high in free-throws attempted and made going 11-for-13. With her performance at the charity stripe, the Redbirds captured their best free-throw percentage this season, shooting 89.3 percent at the line. The junior forward racked up 27 points, 13 rebounds and added two blocks this weekend to help the Redbirds secure their first conference weekend sweep since the 2013-14 season.
Ty Battle (INS) - Freshman Ty Battle scored six points and brought down three rebounds as Indiana State secured the season sweep of Evansville for the third time in four years. Battle, a true freshman, had an assist and was 3-for-6 from the field in the game.
Karli Rucker (UNI) - Rucker scored seven points off the bench to propel the Panthers past Southern Illinois on Sunday, while also dishing out four assists and grabbing two rebounds. On Friday night, the freshman scored three points in defeat to Missouri State, while earning one assist.
Abby Brockmeyer (SIU) - Brockmeyer averaged 9.0 points and 6.5 rebounds in SIU’s two road games over the weekend. Brockmeyer opened her weekend with 10 points and six rebounds at Drake, and followed with eight points and seven rebounds at Northern Iowa. The Raymond, Ill. native leads all Valley freshmen in rebounds, blocks and is second to Loyola’s Abby O’Connor in scoring.