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Bulldogs Expand MVC Lead
Drake improved to 11-0 following wins over Southern Illinois and Missouri State last weekend, taking a three-game lead over the Lady Bears (8-3) in the league standings. Southern Illinois and UNI are tied for third place (7-4), while Indiana State is fifth (6-4).
1,500 Point Club
Missouri State’s Liza Fruendt became the 11th Lady Bear in school history with 1,500 points Friday evening with a free throw in the final seconds of MSU’s win at UNI. Fruendt joins Valpo’s Dani Franklin as the only two MVC players over 1,500 career points. Currently, four players in the MVC have achieved at least 1,000 career points.
Rank Player, School Points
1. Dani Franklin, Valparaiso 1,578
2. Liza Fruendt, Missouri State 1,504
3. Kylie Giebelhausen, Southern Illinois 1,195
4. Maddy Dean, Drake 1,066
League Leaders
Drake’s 11-0 league start matches seven others who have started with at least 11-straight league wins in 2017-18. Only 14 NCAA teams are still unbeaten in their respective leagues (through Feb. 4).
NCAA Teams With Perfect League Marks
13-0 Quinnipiac
12-0 Belmont, Gonzaga
11-0 American, Baylor, Dayton, Drake, Little Rock
10-0 Central Michigan, UConn, South Dakota
9-0 Mercer, Mississippi State
8-0 Bethune-Cookman
Best Starts in MVC History?
Drake sits 11-0 for the second-straight season and is within striking distance of becoming the fifth team to begin an MVC season with a 12-0 mark. Below is a look at the 12-0 league starts in MVC history:
Rec Team-Year Loss Final
18-0 Drake (2016-17) N/A 1st (18-0)
12-0 MSU (1995-96) at ILS 1st (16-2)
12-0 INS (2005-06) at MSU 1st (16-2)
12-0 WSU (2013-14) at UNI T-1st (14-4)
Valley Streak Continues
Drake has the longest win streak in the MVC era for regular season MVC contests. With a road win at Missouri State on Jan. 5, Drake set the new all-time MVC era mark at 25, surpassing the Lady Bears record of 24-straight wins set in 2000. The impressive streak started Feb. 26, 2016 with a win over Loyola. The Bulldogs are currently four wins shy of tying SIU’s 37 game streak from 1985-1987 during the Gateway era.
Consecutive MVC/Gateway Wins
37 - Southern Illinois (Mar. 6, 1985-Dec. 30, 1987)
33 - Drake (Feb. 26, 2016-present)
Current Conference Win Streaks (NCAA)
80 - UConn (Dec. 29, 2013-present)
33 - Drake (Feb. 26, 2016-present)
The Forest Is On Fire!
Indiana State is riding a five-game win streak for the first time since the 2013-14 season. During that 2013-14 season, Indiana State had separate MVC win streaks of six and seven games, sharing the regular season title with Wichita State with a 14-4 league record.
Efficient Inside the Arc
Since the 2015-16 season, Drake has ranked second nationally behind UConn in Two Point Field Goal Percentage (HerHoopStats.com). The Bulldogs have increased their percentage and narrowed the gap on the Huskies each season.
National Leaders: 2-Point Field Goal %
2017-18 UConn (59.2%), Drake (56.5%)
2016-17 UConn (58.6%), Drake (55.7%)
2015-16 UConn (59.8%), Drake (54.0%)
Can’t Miss
Drake’s Becca Hittner has made 40 consecutive free throws dating back to a miss at Missouri State on Jan. 5. The 40-straight makes are a Drake school record and tied for the fifth-best streak in Valley history.
Consecutive Free Throws Made
1. 53 - Katie Miller, UNI 2000
2. 44 - Kelsey Luna, Indiana State 2009-10
44 - Kim Wypiszynski, UNI 2009-10
44 - Mallory Ladd, Evansville 2012-13
5. 40 - Sam Schuett, Creighton 2009-10
40 - Becca Hittner, Drake 2017-18
Elite Defense
Illinois State is ranked 6th nationally in scoring defense, allowing 54.4 points per game, and field-goal percentage defense (34.4%). The Redbirds join nationally ranked Green Bay as the only two teams to be ranked top six nationally in both categories.
RPI Update
The latest installment of the NCAA RPI Report (Feb. 5) has four Valley teams that rank in the top-160, led by Drake at No. 86, Missouri State at No. 117, Southern Illinois at 140 and UNI at No. 153.
Scheduled Tough
Drake leads the league with a non-conference strength of schedule of 17. Four other league schools, including Missouri State (No. 19), UNI (No. 40), Southern Illinois (No. 58) and Indiana State (No. 75), also have schedules that rank in the top-75. The Valley is one of five leagues to have at least five teams appearing in the Top 75, joining the Big East, Big Ten, Pac 12 and Southland.
Mid-Major Top-25 Poll
Drake appeared in the latest (Jan. 30) CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25. The Bulldogs remained 14th for the second-straight week in the rankings, while Missouri State is receiving votes in the poll. Florida Gulf Coast ranks first in the poll, followed by Green Bay.