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The following "Starting Five" points offer a quick look inside GLVC women's basketball action this week:
Deaconess Named Title Sponsor of GLVC Basketball Tournaments
STARTING FIVE
[1 | bellarmine takes outright position atop east division; more monday recaps]
In what was an exciting game from start to finish that saw Southern Indiana gain the lead on four separate occasions, including its largest margin of eight points in the first quarter, No. 4 Bellarmine turned on the gas in the final few minutes to come away with the 88-83 road win that resulted in a 7-0 league record and sole possession of first place in the East Division. Other winners around the GLVC on Monday included Illinois Springfield's 59-53 road win at McKendree. Maryville defeated Missouri-St. Louis at home 62-50, while William Jewell defeated non-conference foe Avila at home 74-59. Additionally, Indianapolis took an 83-44 win over Saint Joseph's on the biggest stage yet in Banker's Life Fieldhouse, home of the Indiana Pacers.
Later in the week, No. 24 Lewis heads to No. 4 Bellarmine for a top-25 battle on Thursday, and No. 13 Drury welcomes Rockhurst for a matchup between the top-two teams in the West on Saturday.
[2 | three glvc teams still ranked in wbca top-25 poll]
The Great Lakes Valley Conference is still represented by Bellarmine University, Drury University and Lewis University in the Women's Basketball Coaches' Association (WBCA)
NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Poll, it was announced Tuesday (Jan. 17). Bellarmine (15-1) won two more GLVC games this past week to continue at No. 4 in the poll for the fifth week in a row. Drury (15-2) also won two league games but dropped from 12th to 13th, while Lewis (12-3) was 1-1 in Conference action and fall from No. 19 to No. 24. Additionally, for the first time this season, the University of Southern Indiana (14-3) entered the conversation by receiving 10 votes.
[3 | many more milestones and marks]
William Jewell head coach Jill Slominski picked up her 400th career victory on Thursday, Jan. 12 in a 62-55 win over visiting Illinois Springfield. And speaking of the Prairie Stars, on Monday, Syerra Cunningham tallied a double-double that included 16 rebounds, which helped her become the all-time rebound leader at UIS. Lewis' Jessica Kelliher also broke school records of her own against Maryville on Saturday, scoring a career-high 38 points with a school-record 18 baskets, missing only one in her 39 minutes on the court.
[4 | doubling up in conference stats]
Though she doesn't lead the
league, or even find herself in the top 20 for scoring, Illinois Springfield's Syerra Cunningham does top the loop with 13.0 rebounds per GLVC game and is the only player averaging a double-double with her 12.1 points per game. She also is ahead of the pack for defensive rebounds with 8.86 per game, more than three ahead of the next closest mark. Others who find themselves atop two separate statistical categories is Lewis' Jessica Kelliher, who has the most points with 24.0 per game and the best field-goal percentage with 69.1. Maddie Nelson is the only other league standout that can boast the same distinction, as she has the best assist/turnover ratio (2.31) while playing the most minutes in league games (39.17). These GLVC marks and more, along with overall stats can be found at
GLVCsports.com.
[5 | glvc ranks among ncaa statistical leaders]
After Monday's release of the
NCAA statistical report, five teams find themselves in the top 10 in 10 different categories while five players boast the same merits. Southern Indiana holds the most top-10 spots nationally with five, including No. 3 in blocked shots (101) and blocked shots per game (5.9) thanks to its nine on Monday vs. Bellarmine. The Screaming Eagles have the 10th-most offensive rebounds per game with 17, which has helped them earn an 11.4 rebound margin and No. 4 in Division II. USI is also seventh in scoring margin (22.2). Bellarmine has just one loss this season and is tied for seventh with a 93.8 won-lost percentage. Lewis is second in the nation for field-goal percentage with a 49.3 mark, while Drury boasts the fourth-best three-point field-goal percentage (40.2). Lastly, Maryville is No. 7 for fewest fouls (209) and eighth in three-point field-goal defense (24.5). It's no wonder Lewis' field-goal percentage is so high when it has Jessica Kelliher, who ranks No. 1 in the same category individually with a 68.6 percent, helped most recently by her 90 percent shooting effort on Saturday. Not only that, Kelliher is also second for field goals made with 142. Another GLVC player with a No. 1 spot nationally is William Jewell's Maddie Nelson, playing the most minutes (38.79). Illinois Springfield's Syerra Cunningham is seventh with 11.9 rebounds per game, and Quincy's Nikia Edom is also No. 7 in three-point field-goal percentage (46.7). Lastly, Drury's Paige Wilson is 10th in Division II with 52 three-point field goals made. Notably, the GLVC ranks best with the most wins against non-conference teams with 88 overall and specifically against Division II non-conference teams with 65 victories.