#HLWBB Weekly Notebook – November 25
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INDIANAPOLIS – The college basketball season starts on Wednesday with six #HLWBB teams in action on opening day and two others opening their campaigns over the weekend.
#HLWBB NEWS & NOTES
• IUPUI’s Macee Williams was voted as the #HLWBB Preseason Player of the Year for the third straight season. Williams was also named to the preseason watch list for the 2021 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year, announced by Her Hoop Stats on Nov. 11. Williams is one of 25 players to be named to the watch list that features players from 23 teams and 15 conferences. To be eligible for the award, a player must compete in the 26 conferences deemed to be "mid-major".
• Joining Williams on the Preseason All-Horizon League First Team are Cleveland State’s Mariah White, Northern Kentucky’s Ally Niece, Angel Baker of Wright State and Chelsea Olson of Youngstown State. White earned #HLWBB Defensive Player of the Year honors in her junior season as she led the Horizon League with 3.0 steals per game and ranked 10th nationally with 96 total steals in 2019-20. Niece was named to the All-League Second Team last season after 13.1 points and 3.7 assists per game in her junior campaign for the Norse. Baker and Olson were both All-League First Team selections in 2019-20. Baker led the Horizon League with 3.8 assists per game last season and added 16.5 points per game, which ranked her third among #HLWBB players. Olson totaled 12.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists last season, ranking in the top 10 of the League in each category.
• The Preseason All-Horizon League Second Team is represented by five different institutions and includes four third team selections and last season’s Freshman of the Year Shamarre Hale of Wright State. Joining Hale are Green Bay’s Caitlyn Hibner, IUPUI’s Rachel McLimore, Brandi Bisping of Milwaukee and Kahlaijah Dean of Oakland. Hale ranked fifth in the League with 7.6 rebounds per game in her rookie season, adding 8.1 points per game. In 2019-20, Hibner posted 10.9 points and 7.0 rebounds per game for the Phoenix. McLimore scored 10.9 points per game last season for the Jags. Bisping led the Panthers with 9.3 points per game in her junior campaign and also ranked in the top-15 in the League with 5.9 rebounds per game. Dean ended last season with 12.0 points per game for the Golden Grizzlies and added 3.0 assists.
• The defending champion and preseason favorite Jaguars finished tenth in the final College Insider Women’s Mid-Major Top 25 poll at the end of last season.
• Tyler Frierson of Wright State pulled down 9.0 rebounds per game in 2019-20, tied with Williams for the top mark in the League.
• UIC’s Jada Nneji led the Horizon League with 2.1 blocks per game last season.
• AnnMarie Gilbert opens her first season as head coach at Detroit Mercy with a pair of home contests against Xavier and Indiana State this week.
•The Horizon League added two institutions to the conference beginning this season in RMU and Purdue Fort Wayne. The Colonials are coming off a NEC regular season title and are led by head coach Charlie Buscaglia. Head coach Niecee Nelson is at the helm for the Mastodons.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
| DATE |
GAME |
Time (ET) |
TV/Live Stream |
| Wednesday, Nov. 25 |
Purdue Fort Wayne vs. SIUE |
1 p.m. |
ESPN3 |
|
UIC at Eastern Illinois |
1 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
|
Detroit Mercy vs. Xavier |
2 p.m. |
ESPN3 |
|
IUPUI at Northern Illinois |
2 p.m. |
ESPN3 |
|
Northern Kentucky at Cincinnati |
6 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
|
Milwaukee vs. Ball State |
6:30 p.m. |
ESPN3 |
| Friday, Nov. 27 |
Oakland vs. Michigan |
6 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
| Saturday, Nov. 28 |
Green Bay vs. Drake |
1 p.m. |
ESPN3 |
|
Milwaukee at Bradley |
6 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
| Sunday, Nov. 29 |
UIC at Eastern Michigan |
1 p.m. |
ESPN3 |
|
Detroit Mercy vs. Indiana State |
2 p.m. |
ESPN3 |
|
Oakland at Toledo |
2 p.m. |
ESPN3 |
| Tuesday, Dec. 1 |
Northern Kentucky at Akron |
6 p.m. |
|