The following "Starting Five" points offer a quick look inside GLVC women's basketball action this week:
STARTING FIVE
[1 | teams continue cross-divisional play]
Rockhurst opened the week for
GLVC women's basketball on Monday night, beating non-conference opponent Avila, 67-57, on the road. Teams will resume cross-divisional play on Thursday and Saturday. East leader Southern Indiana (20-3, 12-1 GLVC) and co-second-place Bellarmine (18-4, 10-3 GLVC) will both visit the third- and fourth-place teams in the West with Maryville (11-9, 7-6 GLVC) and Missouri-St. Louis (11-10, 6-7 GLVC), respectively. The Saints have been on a hot streak with five consecutive wins to move their way up in the standings, while UMSL is tied with Truman State (11-11, 9-7 GLVC) for the fourth spot. The second team in the West, Rockhurst (13-7, 8-5 GLVC), will travel to Indianapolis (14-9, 8-5 GLVC), which is fourth in the East, while Lewis (18-5, 10-3 GLVC) is tied with Bellarmine for second in the East and will face Truman Thursday and Quincy (5-18, 2-11 GLVC) Saturday.
[2 | another week, another upset]
For the fourth week in a row,
an upset was recorded in a GLVC women's basketball game, perhaps the biggest of the collection. This week, it came from Southern Indiana in an 84-78 home win against then-No. 9 Drury. USI's Tanner Marcum led the way with 24 points, adding four assists and four rebounds. Hannah Wascher tallied 20 points of her own on 64.3% shooting (9-for-14) with six rebounds, and Kaydie Grooms was close behind with 18 points and six boards. Their league-best sixth win in a row propelled the Screaming Eagles to 12-1 in league play to complement a 20-3 overall record.
[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. 7). Drury (20-3, 12-1 GLVC) dropped out of the top 10 this week from No. 9 to No. 13 after falling to Southern Indiana over the weekend, while Bellarmine (18-4, 10-3 GLVC) had an undefeated week of GLVC games but dropped from No. 15 to No. 17. USI (20-3, 12-1 GLVC), on the other hand, finally made its way into the top 25 after receiving votes for the last few weeks. Its upset over then-No. 9 Drury paced the transition for the Screaming Eagles. Lewis (18-5, 10-3 GLVC) had another 2-0 week in league play and continued to receive votes in the coaches poll.
[4 | 1,000 points, 100 wins, SC Top 10]
There are now four players who have joined the 1,000-point club this season, including the latest - and perhaps most impressive - member: Lewis' Jessica Kelliher. What makes her feat so notable is the fact that she is only a sophomore. It's taken her just 54 games to reach this plateau in her short time as a Flyer. Also celebrating a milestone was Kelliher's head coach Kristen Gillespie, who won her 100th career game, a 71-66 victory against Rockhurst. Gillespie was joined by Missouri-St. Louis's Katie Vaughn, reaching her 100th career victory as well in a 77-73 win over Illinois Springfield. Topping off the weekly highlights was Quincy's selection as
the #8 play on the Sportscenter Top 10 over the weekend. Hawks' senior Lauren Gronewold passed the ball to herself on an inbounds play off the back of an Indianapolis defender to
sink the game-tying three and force overtime with less than three seconds on the clock.
[5 | glvc ranks among ncaa statistical leaders]
In Monday's
NCAA statistical report, five teams continue to find themselves in the top 10, covering 10 different categories. Additionally, five players also claim top-10 status. Southern Indiana is back on top of the GLVC contingent with four different top-10 rankings. Its best mark is for blocked shots at fifth with 120. Rebound (10.3) and scoring margin (20.3) follow in seventh, while the fourth category in which the Screaming Eagles are ranked is scoring offense (ninth, 80.5) - bolstered by the last two games of 99 and 84 points. Three other teams are ranked in two categories, including Bellarmine, Drury and Maryville. Bellarmine comes in at No. 5 and No. 8 in free throws made (397) and free throws attempted (546), respectively. Drury ranks among the top-10 nationally for three-point field-goal percentage in third with a 39.8 percent clip and with a 46.9 field-goal percentage ranks seventh. Maryville's marks for three-point field-goal defense (24.6) and fewest fouls (307) are sixth and 10th in the nation, respectively. Lewis holds one top-10 statistic and that is its No. 3 ranking with a 48.4 field-goal percentage. Speaking of Lewis, Jessica Kelliher has been integral to the team's No. 3 mark, as she ranks atop the leaderboard for field-goal percentage with a 67.9 percent. She's also third in field goals made with 190, while teammate Jamie Johnson is 10th in free-throw percentage (89.1). William Jewell's Maddie Nelson has a No. 4 spot for minutes played per game at 37.80, and Drury's Paige Wilson is sixth in three-point field goals made (71). Rounding out the top-10 stats is USI's Tanner Marcum, who comes in at No. 10 with 68 steals.