Missouri Valley Conference Basketball Media Guides 2013-14 MVC Women's Basketball Media Guide | Page 29

after averaging 7.4 points, including 28
three-pointers in her rookie campaign, while
Keitel averaged 6.8 points and 5.7 rebounds
last season. Donaldson (6.1 ppg, 38 threepointers) and Brown (4.8 ppg, 44 assists,
31 three-pointers) will lead the Panthers
backcourt in 2013-14.

u TWO TEAMS IN NCAA TOURNEY
For the tenth time in league history, and
the first time since 2002, the Missouri
Valley Conference earned two bids to the
NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.

Wichita State, which earned the Valley’s
automatic bid after winning its first-ever
tournement title, was joined by Creighton,
Southern Illinois is the only league team to which earned an at-large selection for the
return all five starters from 2012-13 and second time in program history (1994).
will be under the guidance of first-year head
coach Cindy Stein. Junior guard Cartaesha
u WE GOT A NCAA VICTORY, TOO
Macklin, an honorable mention all-MVC
selection a season ago, is the league’s Not only did the Valley have two teams in
active career leader in scoring, entering the NCAA Tournament field, the league
the 2013-14 season just 40 points shy of also recorded its first NCAA Tournament
1,000 for her career. Macklin averaged 15.4 victory since 2002, when Creighton held
Wichita State’s Alex Harden, the 2012-13 MVC Defensive
Player of the Year and MVC Tournament MVP, will lead the
points in her sophomore season and also off Syracuse, 61-56, in the NCAA First
charge for the Shockers after the most successful season
tallied 129 assists and 42 steals. She will be Round.
in Wichita State women’s basketball history.
joined by sophomore point guard Rishonda
u MISSOURI STATE
u RPI/STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
Napier (11.0 ppg, 54 three-pointers, 73 asMissouri State welcomes back three starters sists) and senior Jordyn Courier (6.9 ppg, In 2012-13, the MVC was 10th among
and nine letterwinners from last season’s 48 three-pointers) in the Salukis’ backcourt. 33 Division I conferences in the RPI (Col14-17 squad and will be under the direclegiate Basketball News). Creighton (34),
tion of new head coach Kellie Harper. The Sophomore center Dyana Pierre led the con- Wichita State (59) and Illinois State (71)
guard-heavy Lady Bears roster features a ference in rebounds in 2013-14, averaging were the top three MVC teams.
pair of talented sophomores in Kenzie Wil- 8.9 per game, becoming just the third freshliams and Tyonna Snow. Williams is Missouri man in MVC history to accomplish the feat. The Valley was also ninth in Strength of
State’s leading returning scorer (11.3 ppg), Pierre also chipped in 7.9 points per game Schedule, marking just the sixth time
while also adding 88 assists and 58 steals, and added 34 blocks. Fellow sophomores since 1992 that the MVC had both RPI
while Snow, a member of the league’s all- Jameeka Bouie (7.2 ppg, 2.1 rpg) and Azia and Strength of Schedule at or under 10
freshman team last season, averaged 8.8 Washington (5.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg) and junior in the same season.
Alexus Patter son (4.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg) add
points and 4.8 rebounds.
depth to the SIU frontcourt.
u THREE TEAMS WITH 20 WINS

u SOUTHERN ILLINOIS

Senior guard Karly Buer (8.6 ppg, 71 assists) set the school record for free throw
percentage last season at .907 and will be
joined by senior guard Hannah Wilkerson
(6.9 ppg, 71 assists), adding depth and
leadership to the Lady Bears backcourt,
while senior forward Bry Snow (5.0 ppg, 2.8
rpg) will be expected to expand her role as
Missouri State’s top returning post player.

Preview/review

2013-14 Missouri Valley Conference Preview

u WICHITA STATE

2012-13 marked the sixth straight
season that three or more teams tallied
Wichita State is coming off its best season
20+ wins (Creighton, Wichita State and
in program history, securing the program’s
first-ever regular-season and MVC Tourna- Illinois State).
ment championships, as well as earning
u BID-WORTHY LEAGUE
a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first
time in WSU history. The Shockers set a The Valley earned five total postseason
school record with 24 victories, including a bids (2 NCAA, 3 WNIT), marking the fifth
program-best mark of 15-3 in league play. time that the Missouri Valley Conference
u NORTHERN IOWA
Reigning MVC Coach of the Year Jody Adams earned at least five post-season bids.
returns just one starter to the floor this
UNI enters the 2013-14 season looking to
season in junior Alex Harden, the league’s
make its fifth-straight postseason appearDefensive Player of the Year and MVC Tourance after coming off a fourth consecutive
nament MVP in 2012-13. Harden averaged
season with 17-plus wins. The Panthers
11.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game last
advanced to the second round of the WNIT
season and will be joined in the backcourt
last season after winning their first-ever
by sophomore Michaela Dapprich (7.7 ppg,
game in the WNIT Tournament at Marquette. 25 three-pointers).
UNI returns four starters, including sophomore forwards Hannah Schonhardt and Jen
Keitel and junior guards Brittni Donaldson
and Brooke Brown. Schonhardt, a member
of the Valley’s all-freshman team in 201213, is the Panthers’ top returning scorer

Senior Michelle Price (5.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg)
and junior Kelsey Jacobs (5.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg)
return to the Shocker frontcourt, and will
also re-gain the services of junior forward
Alie Decker, who missed most of last season
with an injury.

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