The following "Starting Five" points offer a quick look inside GLVC women's basketball action this week:
GLVC SPORTS NETWORK (GLVCSN): All GLVC home games are available for free on GLVCSN.com, the GLVCSN iOS and Android mobile apps, and GLVCSN OTT apps on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and Android TV.
[1 // glvc play back on tap]
The first week of 2018 features a full slate of GLVC women's basketball action, beginning on Thursday with the first seven games, while another seven are on tap Saturday. All 14 will stream live and free on the GLVCSN. Highlighting the week will be Saturday's match-up of No. 20 Southern Indiana (10-1, 2-0 GLVC) at No. 8 Drury (11-1, 3-0 GLVC). USI leads the East Division and Drury is atop the West standings, while Illinois Springfield (8-2, 2-0 GLVC) leads the way in the Central and will face the second team in the East in Lewis (9-4, 2-1 GLVC) on Thursday.
[2 // holiday break review]
There were 24 games played over the winter break, including
13 before Christmas and
11 after. Coincidentally, GLVC teams went a combined 13-11 in those non-conference games, while two were road wins against Midwest Region opponents for McKendree at Davenport and Lewis at Saginaw Valley State. Of the 13 winners, McKendree and Missouri-St. Louis were the only teams to win more than one contest with two a piece, while Maryville defeated Division I Fort Wayne in an exhibition on Dec. 19. Elsewhere, then-No. 17 Southern Indiana was unfortunately dealt its first loss of the year at the hands of unranked Lincoln Memorial that same day.
[3 // drury, usi ranked in wbca poll]
Both Drury and Southern Indiana continue to be ranked in the
WBCA NCAA Division II Top-25 Poll, it was announced today. No. 8 Drury (11-1) has not competed since Dec. 17 and remained in its same position since the last WBCA poll was released Dec. 21. Southern Indiana (10-1), on the other hand, played two games since the last coaches’ poll and went 1-1. However, the Screaming Eagles held at No. 20 to start the New Year.
[4 // first 2018 weekly honoree]
Lewis’ Jessica Kelliher was the first
GLVC Player of the Week in 2018, as announced on Jan. 2, winning her third honor this season and ninth career. This was also the third time in four years a Flyers women’s basketball player earned the first award of the new year, as former GLVC Player of the Year Mariyah Brawner-Henley did that in both the 2015-16 and 2014-15 seasons.
[5 // national stat leaders]
Illinois Springfield (8-2) continues to lead NCAA Division II into the New Year with its 7.6 blocked shots per game average and is fourth in the country with 76 total blocks. UW-Parkside is second in the loop with its 431 three-point field goals attempted and sixth for its 131 made. Truman has taken care of the ball remarkably well this season and ranks third for fewest turnovers (111), while Southern Indiana has held its opponents to a 51.9 scoring clip and is sixth in D-II for that mark. Individually, the GLVC has two players that top the nation, including Indianapolis senior Martha Burse and Lewis junior Jessica Kelliher. Burse has attempted the most field goals (261), while Kelliher has made the most (129). Burse follows Kelliher in that category with 110 (fourth). Both standouts are second for points per game, as the junior averages 24.8, and steals, as the senior has grabbed 53. They each also rank fourth respectively in shooting percentage (63.9%) and steals per game (4.08). One other league player is fourth in an individual category, as Quincy junior Jessie Rabas holds a 50.0 three-point field-goal percentage.