The following "Starting Five" points offer a quick look inside GLVC women's basketball action this week:
STARTING FIVE
[1 | back to divisional play to close out season]
McKendree and William Jewell
opened the week with a makeup game that was rescheduled from earlier in the season due to a severe weather postponement. Jewell took a 55-38 win and moved into a tie for third in the West. On Thursday, teams will return to divisional play for the last full weekend of games. Featured on Thursday will be Lewis (20-5, 12-3), the second-place team in the East Division, at Indianapolis (14-11, 8-7), the fourth-place East team. Saturday will be highlighted by Drury's (22-3, 14-1) trip to Missouri-St. Louis (13-10, 8-7), the first and third-place teams in the West.
[2 | double trouble upset]
For the fifth week in a row,
an upset was recorded in a GLVC women's basketball game. We noted that last week’s upset win for Southern Indiana over then-No. 9 Drury was perhaps the most impressive to date. However, this week, Missouri-St. Louis not only upset one ranked team but two. In both of its league games, UMSL topped a top-25 team to extend its winning streak to four games and currently sits tied for third in the West. The week started for the Tritons against then-No. 20 USI with a 65-59 victory before beating then-No. 17 Bellarmine with a buzzer-beater layup for the 58-57 win.
[3 | three ranked, four represented in wbca poll]
The Great Lakes Valley Conference is represented by four teams in this week's Women's Basketball Coaches' Association (WBCA)
NCAA Division II Poll, it was announced Tuesday (Feb. 14). With another 2-0 week, Drury (22-3, 14-1 GLVC) surged up three spots back to No. 9. Both Bellarmine (19-5, 11-4 GLVC) and USI (21-4, 13-2 GLVC) were upset this past week by Missouri-St. Louis and went 1-1 in GLVC games, resulting in a drop in the polls. The Knights fell seven spots to No. 23 and the Screaming Eagles dropped four places and sit at No. 24. Lewis (20-5, 12-3 GLVC) had a 2-0 week of its own in league play and continued to receive votes in the coaches poll.
[4 | 7 upperclassmen, 3 underclassmen league leaders]
Of the 13 GLVC category leaders in league-only games, nine of them are filled by upperclassmen; eight of which are seniors. Illinois Springfield’s Syerra Cunningham finds her name atop the most categories, all of which are for rebounding. She has the most rebounds per game (10.6) and total rebounds (159) as well as offensive (3.80, 57) and defensive (6.80, 102) boards. Redshirt-senior Jamie Johnson of Lewis is tops for free-throw percentage (93.0, 80-for-86), while Saint Joseph’s Brittany Morris leads the Conference in assists with 5.87 per game and 88 total. Rockhurst’s Jillian Myers and UW-Parkside’s Shelby Cheston, the two juniors, are the respective leaders in steals (3.60, 54) and blocks (2.40, 36). Rounding out the upperclassmen leaders is Southern Indiana’s Tanner Marcum’s assist-to-turnover ratio (2.25) and William Jewell’s Maddie Nelson and her 3.3.20 minutes played per game. The underclassmen include sophomore’s Marisa Lowe from Rockhurst and Lewis’ Jessica Kelliher, who rank first in three-point field goals made (3.00) as well as scoring (21.9) and field-goal percentage (69.2), respectively. The other is freshman Maddie Raley of Missouri S&T with the highest three-point field-goal percentage at 56.9 (29-for-51).
[5 | glvc ranks among ncaa top-10 statistical leaders]
In the latest
NCAA statistical report, five teams remain in the top 10 for eight different categories. Additionally, five players also claim top-10 status. Drury leads the way with five top-10 spots, including its best rank of sixth with a 38.5 three-point field-goal percentage. The Panthers also find themselves eighth in field-goal percentage (46.4), ninth for won-lost percentage (88.0) and are the 10th best in scoring margin (17.8) and turnover margin (6.88). Southern Indiana follows with two Division II top-10 positions, as its sixth in rebounds margin (10.1) and eighth in scoring margin (19.4). With the highest national team ranking, Lewis boasts the No. 3 spot for its 48.5 percent field-goal percentage. Bellarmine earned the fifth best total for free throws made with 424, while Maryville sits ninth with a 25.4 percent three-point field-goal defense. In the individual top 10, there’s one person who holds two top spots, and that is Lewis’ Jessica Kelliher. The sophomore has the highest field-goal percentage (68.9) and has made the most field goals (210). William Jewell’s Maddie Nelson has played the second most minutes per game at 38.3. Kelliher’s redshirt-senior teammate Jamie Johnson ranks sixth in the nation with her 90.1 free throw percentage, Bellarmine’s Sarah Galvin is ninth for free throws made (125), and USI’s Tanner Marcum is 10th in steals with 73.