Second Week Women’s Award Winners

Boffeli Ascends & Rodrguez Transcends

(St. Louis, MO) – College basketball’s season reached full speed last week and some newcomers are forcing their way into league-wide conversations. Second week women’s awards winners from the Missouri Valley and Ohio Valley Conferences reveal some familiar and not so familiar names.

Women’s Award Winners – MVC

Pre-season player of the year Grace Boffeli is the Valley’s ‘Player of the Week’. Boffeli scored 24 points in Northern Iowa’s win over Ball State and in so doing captured her third career Valley weekly honor. The 6’1 junior forward was an all-Valley performer last year and has been named to the ‘Hoops In the Heartland’ all-tournament team the past two seasons.

Chicago native Makiyah Williams led Illinois Chicago to a pair of victories by averaging twenty-five points and 6.5 rebounds. The Marquette transfer shot 65.5% from the floor and leads the Flames (4-1) with a 15.8 points-per-game scoring average. Williams is the Valley’s ‘Newcomer of the Week’.

During the offseason Belmont lost key players in the transfer portal. Newcomer Jailyn Banks is filling up part of that talent drain. The rookie guard is the Valley’s ‘Freshman of the Week’ for averaging fifteen points, four rebounds and four assists during the Bruins’ two games. Belmont defeated Wichita State but dropped a decision to Mississippi State. The weekly award is her second in as many weeks.

Women’s Award Winners – OVC

Southern Illinois Edwardsville’s K.K. Rodriguez exploded on to the scene last week. The 5’6 grad student pumped in 31 points against Illinois State and added 17 more against Eastern Michigan. Rodriguez is this week’s ‘Player of the Week‘ and after Monday’s loss at Dayton, has reached the 30-point plateau in three of the Cougars’ last four games. She leads the OVC and is nineteenth nationally in scoring (22.2 ppg).

‘Newcomer of the Week‘ Jasmine Nichols scored a total of ten points in her first three Western Illinois contests. Then the Moorpark College transfer scored 20 and twelve points in successive games. The 6’1 junior has upped her scoring average to 8.4 points-per-game.

For the second straight week Western Illinois’ Raegan McCowan is the ‘Co-Freshman of the Week‘. The Lebanon, Missouri native sparked the Leathernecks to a pair of wins while averaging 14 points and five rebounds per game.

Lindenwood’s Ellie Brueggemann shares the weekly honor. The 5’11 freshman tallied 21 points during the Lions’ loss to Cincinnati. Brueggemann leads the Lions in scoring (16.0 ppg), minutes played and three point baskets.

 

Editor: Cover photo of Raegan McGowan courtesy of goleathernecks.com.