Senior: After missing a few games earlier this season, Oral Roberts senior Keni Jo Lippe seems to be back to her old self. The Adair, Okla., native had two dominant performances against Kansas City this past weekend. On Saturday, Lippe finished with 24 points (9-of-17), seven rebounds, and five assists in ORU’s 101-93 overtime loss to the Roos. She followed that up with a 30-point game on Sunday where she shot 10-of-18 from the floor and 7-of-10 from the charity stripe in the Golden Eagles’ 71-67 overtime win over Kansas City. The last time Lippe scored 30 points or more in a game was on Feb. 9, 2020, when she erupted for 46 points against North Dakota State. Lippe is averaging 15.7 points per game, which is fifth-best in the Summit League.
Junior: When you score 45 points in a game you become Junior of the Week. That’s what Kansas City’s Naomie Alnatas did in game 1 against Oral Roberts. Alnatas 45 points were the second-highest total in Summit League history. Alnatas averaged 30.5 points, 3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in the two-game split against ORU.
Sophomore: North Dakota State’s Ryan Cobbins wins this week’s Sophomore of the Week. NDSU may have split with Denver this week but Cobbins did all she could to lift the Bison. Cobbins averaged 15 points and 9 rebounds over the weekend series with the Pioneers.
Freshmen: Maddie Krull; South Dakota. Krull played a big role in South Dakota’s weekend sweep at Western Illinois. Krull was big both days as the Coyotes stayed unbeaten in the Summit. In Friday’s 73-56 win, Krull finishing with 15 points, adding five rebounds and four assists. “Maddie Krull (15 points) was great for them, you pick your poison with those guys on some kids and she made us pay for picking her,” Western Illinois coach JD Gravina said. On Saturday, Krull would only score five points and grab three rebounds, but her defense down the stretch helped the Coyotes earn the 61-56 come-from-behind win.
Bench: Melissa Leet, Senior, North Dakota Although they lost both games this past weekend in Brookings, the Fighting Hawks (0-7) had a great showing from 6’6” senior Melissa Leet off the bench. The Palmer, AK native had a career night on Saturday as she scored a game-high 18 points on 6/8 shooting from the field, including 4/7 from the free-throw line, and secured eight rebounds. On Friday night, Leet went for four points, three rebounds, and three blocks in an 81-52 loss to SDSU (6-0). Next up for UND are a couple of home games against Western Illinois Friday and Saturday night.
Defense: The SDSU WBB team is the defensive team of the week on the ladies’ side. It held North Dakota to an average of just 48 ppg on the weekend and forced several turnovers each game. Strong guard play led to many steals in the frontcourt in Saturday’s affair. A good all-around defensive effort worth mentioning this week from SDSU.