Week two of The Scout’s weekly power rankings for women’s basketball witnessed some shakeup towards the top of the conference. A few teams in The Valley took on power four opponents, with a couple of top-10 matchups and one major upset that gives us a new number one. Remember that these rankings are not standings but rather a ranking based on performance, strength of schedule, and availability of key players.
- Northern Iowa (3-1)
Last week’s ranking: 3
Latest result: 87-75 win versus No. 8 Iowa State
Next matchup: Auburn
Northern Iowa suffered a close loss to Ball State last Saturday but bounced back tremendously when they beat Iowa State, who was ranked eighth in the country heading into the matchup. Maya McDermott had herself a game that is going to be tough to top by anyone in The Valley this year, scoring 37 points against the Cyclones.
It’s not all good news for the Panthers, though. Star forward Grace Boffelli, a preseason All-MVC First Team selection, tore her ACL against Ball State and will miss the rest of the season. It’s a tough loss for the Panthers that would’ve had them drop in the rankings if not for McDermott’s sensational performance.
- Drake (2-2)
Last week’s ranking: 1
Latest result: 86-73 loss versus Iowa
Next matchup: No. 8 Iowa State
The Bulldogs only had one game this week, losing at home to Iowa. The game would’ve likely been closer if not for a rough second quarter. Preseason Player of the Year Katie Dinnebier scored 40 points against the Hawkeyes after a slow start to the year, but her efforts were unmatched as no other player for Drake could score in the double digits. If they want to get back to the top of the conference, the Bulldogs will have to defeat Iowa State on the road on Sunday and have other key players such as Anna Miller bounce back.
- Belmont (2-3)
Last week’s ranking: 2
Latest result: 79-47 loss at No.14 Duke
Next matchup: Michigan
The team also faced another AP Top 25, No. 12 Ohio State, in which the Bruins walked away defeated despite being very close in points for most of the contest. Kendall Holmes scored 19 points on a six-for-10 shooting performance. Holmes also cleaned the glass with eight rebounds. After a close loss to Ohio State, the Bruins fell apart in Durham to the Blue Devils. Belmont failed to score double-digits in both quarters of the first half. Carmyn Harrison scored 13 points and had six steals on defense.
- Murray State (1-2)
Last week’s ranking: 6
Latest result: 74-60 loss versus No. 7 LSU
Next matchup: Memphis
The Racers played a competitive game against top 10 LSU, going into halftime with a surprising 46-37 lead. A second-half collapse spoiled their chance at an upset, but being able to closely challenge one of the best teams in the country on the road earns them a couple of spots higher on our rankings. The Racers were led by breakout senior guard Ava Learn, who scored 18 points and added 10 rebounds against the Tigers.
- Missouri State (2-1)
Last week’s ranking: 4
Latest result: 74-66 loss at UT-Martin
Next matchup: Saint Louis
Missouri State only had one matchup this week, a road loss to UT-Martin that remained close throughout the game, with the Bears cutting the deficit to just two at one point in the fourth quarter. Senior forward Sarah Linthacum, a transfer from Missouri, scored 20 points, and sophomore guard Kyrah Daniels added 18 points.
- Illinois State (2-1)
Last week’s ranking: 5
Latest result: 71-55 win versus Le Moyne
Next matchup: Harvard
Surprisingly, the Redbirds struggled in the first half against Le Moyne, going into the break tied with the Dolphins. However, they rallied in the second half to secure the win. Senior guard Elyce Knudsen led Illinois State with 15 points and junior forward Addison Martin followed close behind with 14 points.
- Bradley (3-1)
Last week’s ranking: 7
Latest result: 72-47 win versus IU Indy
Next matchup: Western Illinois
The Braves took an early 12-point lead in the first quarter against Central Michigan and continued to dominate throughout the game. Senior Kaylen Nelson led the Braves with 17 points, while graduate guard Ruba Abo Hashesh and senior guard Soleil Barnes trailed behind with 11 points each. Barnes scored a career-high 20 points in the following game against IU Indy. The Braves used their three-point shooting to take down the Jaguars by converting at a rate of 42 percent.
- Indiana State (1-4)
Last week’s ranking: 8
Latest result: 80-55 loss at Butler
Next matchup: SEMO
The Sycamores have taken a step backward following their win against Wright State, in which they fell to Austin Peay and Butler. In their matchup against the Governors, both teams were neck and neck with the Sycamores falling short by one point at halftime until the Governors prevailed in the second half. A similar situation occurred against the Bulldogs, in which the Sycamores started strong but again fell short in the second half. If the Sycamores can keep that first-half momentum, they can have more success than defeats.
- UIC (0-3)
Last week’s ranking: 9
Latest result: 61-57 loss at Wisconsin
Next matchup: Northern Illinois
The Badgers and Flames have not played head-to-head since 2013, when Rachel Story hit a game-winning three-pointer for the Flames with only 20 seconds left in the fourth quarter. UIC just fell short in Madison after a tough battle against Wisconsin. Krystyna Ellew was perfect from the floor, finishing six-for-six overall and totaling 18 points. Jaida McCloud contributed 12 points and seven rebounds.
- Evansville (2-2)
Last week’s ranking: 11
Latest result: 71-69 loss against Lindenwood
Next matchup: Lipscomb
The Aces, once again, split their games this week in which they dominated SEMO in a 70-55 victory but fell to Lindenwood by two points in overtime. After the first half of the competition was dominated by the Lions, the Aces had a fiery comeback in the second half with junior forward Tamesha Dozier making a layup in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime. While the Aces did not fall too far behind the Lions, if they can concentrate when put in crunch-time moments such as these, they can persevere this season against challenging teams.
- Southern Illinois (1-3)
Last week’s ranking: 12
Latest result: 85-80 win against IUPUI
Next matchup: SEMO
The Salukis overcame their three-game losing streak with a close victory against IUPUI. Junior forward Gift Uchenna led the team with 34 points, the sixth most in a single game in the program’s history. However, the Salukis were close to losing it in the fourth quarter as the Jaguars attempted to make a comeback. If the Salukis can work collectively and improve their defense, they’ll prevent similar situations from occurring in the future.
- Valparaiso (1-4)
Last week’s ranking: 10
Latest result: 70-62 loss at Loyola-Chicago
Next matchup: Goshen
The Beacons continue their early-season struggle, dropping road contests against Milwaukee and Loyola-Chicago this week. Sophomore guard Layla Gold led the team against Milwaukee with 23 points. Fellow sophomore Nevaeh Jackson led the team against Loyola-Chicago with 17 points and preseason All-MVC second team Leah Earnest scored 16 points against the Ramblers. Valpo should handle business against Goshen this week, but they could be in for a long season if they don’t.
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