Throughout the 2018-19 academic year, the Great Lakes Valley Conference will celebrate its 40th anniversary by recognizing 40 teams that made a significant impact both on campus and at the Conference level. This week’s featured team is the 2012 Maryville women’s basketball squad.
40 TEAMS | 40 YEARS
WEEK 25: 2012 Maryville Women’s Basketball
SEASON SUMMARY
The 2011-12 Maryville women’s basketball team experienced a number of firsts throughout its memorable season, including the fact it was the Saints’ first year of eligibility to compete for a GLVC Championship. After a 2-1 start to the year, the Saints hit a five-game skid that included road losses at Missouri S&T and Drury to start their GLVC campaign 0-2. Maryville would quickly right the ship, taking its next four contests and evening up its league record at 2-2, following home wins against Lewis and No. 17 UW-Parkside, which marked the program’s first victory over a nationally-ranked team since moving to Division II. After dropping contests to Indianapolis and Saint Joseph’s, Maryville would then win six of its next seven GLVC outings, setting up the final five games of the regular season, in which the Saints picked up three additional victories. With an 11-7 GLVC record, the Saints entered the GLVC Championship Tournament as the fourth-best team in the West Division, earning the No. 6 seed overall. A 75-61 opening-round win over crosstown rival Missouri-St. Louis punched the Saints’ ticket to Springfield, Illinois, where they would be reseeded as the No. 5 seed and scheduled against fourth-seeded and No. 25 Northern Kentucky. Maryville scored an 80-70 win over the Norse in the quarterfinals, and then knocked off top-seed Quincy 70-66 to advance to the finals. In the title game, Maryville defeated No. 7 Kentucky Wesleyan 75-62 to earn their first-ever GLVC Championship and the coveted automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Midwest Regional. The Saints would make their first-ever NCAA Division II postseason appearance on the road at second-ranked Ashland and see their season end there following an 87-62 setback. Maryville finished the season 19-12 overall under the direction of Chris Ellis, who encountered 255 career wins during his stint in St. Louis from 2001-16.
IMPRESSIVE INDIVIDUALS
Abby Duethman
- GLVC All-Tournament Team (2012)
- DII Bulletin All-America (2013)
- GLVC Player of the Year (2013)
- All-GLVC First Team (2012, 2013)
- All-GLVC Third Team (2011)
- Would go on to become the Saints’ No. 2 all-time career scorer (1,463 points)
Shelby Miller
- GLVC Tournament MVP (2012)
- First freshman in GLVC history to be named GLVC Tournament MVP
- GLVC Freshman of the Year (2012)
- All-GLVC Second Team (2012, 2013)
- All-GLVC First Team (2014, 2015)
- Set Maryville record for points by a freshman with 394 (2012)
- Broke the freshman school record for three-pointers with 50 (2012)
- Would go on to become the Saints’ all-time leader scorer (1,612 points)
Rita Flynn
- GLVC All-Tournament Team (2012, 2014)
Jo Thomspon
- All-GLVC Defensive Team (2012)
LASTING LEGACY
The 2011-12 Maryville women’s basketball program secured the school’s first GLVC Championship in any sport, while advancing to its first-ever NCAA Division II Tournament appearance as well. It was the Saints’ sixth NCAA Tournament appearance overall, with the previous five stemming from their days in Division III. The team’s GLVC title also marked the school’s first conference title since winning the last of three straight St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles in 2009. The magic of the 2011-12 season seemed to extend into future GLVC Tournaments as the Saints returned to the GLVC title game the following year as the No. 2 seed, falling 76-61 to top-seed Lewis, and made it back to the final once again in 2014 as the No. 8 seed before falling to No. 7 Truman State, 58-45. In 2014-15, the Saints were looking to become the first team since Northern Kentucky from 1999-2002 to go to four straight GLVC title games, but they fell to second-ranked Lewis in the quarterfinals. One year after leading her Saints to the GLVC title, senior Abby Duethman would earn both the 2013 GLVC Player and Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards, DII Bulletin All-America honors, and was recognized as a finalist for the NCAA Woman of the Year award. The three-time All-Conference selection finished her career as Maryville's all-time leader in scoring (1,463) and rebounding (633). Her scoring mark would later be erased by 2012 GLVC Freshman of the Year Shelby Miller, who concluded her career in 2014-15 with 1,612 points.