#HLWBB Weekly Notebook – February 24
Rachel White
#HLWBB Standings | #HLWBB Statistics | #HLWBB Weekly Notebook
INDIANAPOLIS – The 2021 #HLWBB Championship begins on Thursday, Feb. 25 with first-round action as No. 6 seed Cleveland State hosts No. 11 seed UIC, No. 7 seed Youngstown State takes on No. 10 seed Purdue Fort Wayne at the Beeghly Center and No. 8 seed Northern Kentucky welcomes No. 9 seed RMU.
#HLWBB NEWS & NOTES
• No. 7 seed Youngstown State and No. 10 seed Purdue Fort Wayne met twice at the Beeghly Center during the regular season (Feb. 5/6) with the Penguins taking both contests, 102-60 and 68-52.
• Youngstown State ranks first in the League with 15.5 assists per game and second with a team field goal percentage of 44.5 percent.
• Senior Mary Dunn and freshman Nneka Obiazor lead the Penguins in scoring as both players average over 15 points per game.
• Purdue Fort Wayne earned its first #HLWBB win on Friday, topping fellow League newcomer RMU, 71-67. Shayla Sellers led the way with 21 points in the victory.
• Sierra Bell leads the Mastodon offense with 10.9 points per game this season while Sellers leads the defense with 1.0 blocks and 1.3 steals.
• No. 6 seed Cleveland State and No. 11 seed UIC have not faced each other yet this season. The two teams last battled on Feb. 1, 2020 in Chicago with the Vikings earning an 83-43 win.
• The Vikings have won seven of their last eight contests overall and have won their last six games at the Wolstein Center, dating back to a 60-48 win over Green Bay on Jan. 23.
• Senior guard Mariah White leads CSU, and the Horizon League, with 19.4 points per game and 2.4 steals.
• Freshmen Jaida McCloud and Kristian Young lead the UIC offense as McCloud averages 13.7 points per game and Young adds 11.1 points. Young also paces the Flames with 4.2 assists.
• Jada Nneji anchors the UIC defense, ranking third in the League with 1.3 blocks per game.
• No. 8 seed Northern Kentucky defeated No. 9 seed RMU twice during the regular season as the Norse picked up a 61-33 win on Dec. 12 followed by a 62-50 victory the following day at BB&T Arena.
• Northern Kentucky and RMU both allow opponents to score 64.4 points this season but the Norse hold a 65.4 to 56.8 advantage in scoring offense. NKU also ranks in the top third of the League in field-goal percentage defense (28.4 percent) and rebounding (38.3).
• Lindsey Duvall leads NKU with 16.1 points per game while tied for the team lead with Kailey Coffey in rebounding (7.5).
• RMU has the best turnover margin in the League as the Colonials force 16.3 turnovers per game while committing just 13.6.
• RMU freshman Sol Castro paces the Colonial offense with 9.9 points per game in her rookie campaign.
RESULTS
| DATE |
GAME |
RECAP |
| Friday, Feb. 19 |
Purdue Fort Wayne 71, RMU 67 |
Box Score |
|
Cleveland State 76, Youngstown State 73 |
Box Score |
|
Green Bay 66, Wright State 62 |
Box Score |
|
Milwaukee 58, UIC 35 |
Box Score |
|
Oakland 84, Northern Kentucky 81 |
Box Score |
| Saturday, Feb. 20 |
RMU 77, Purdue Fort Wayne 63 |
Box Score |
|
Green Bay 61, Wright State 56 |
Box Score |
|
Youngstown State 64, Cleveland State 61 |
Box Score |
|
Milwaukee 72, UIC 53 |
Box Score |
|
Northern Kentucky 88, Oakland 75 |
Box Score |
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
2021 #HLWBB CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
| DATE |
GAME |
Time (ET) |
TV/Live Stream |
| Thursday, Feb. 25 |
No. 10 seed Purdue Fort Wayne at No. 7 seed Youngstown State |
5 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
|
No. 11 seed UIC at No. 6 seed Cleveland State |
7 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
|
No. 9 seed RMU at No. 8 seed Northern Kentucky |
7 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
| Tuesday, March 2 |
Lowest-remaining seed at No. 1 seed Wright State |
2 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
|
No. 5 seed IUPUI at No. 4 seed Oakland |
3 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
|
Second lowest-remaining seed at No. 2 seed Milwaukee |
8 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
|
Highest-remaining seed at No. 3 seed Green Bay |
8 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
| Monday, March 8 |
Semifinal No. 1 |
11 a.m. |
ESPN+ |
|
Semifinal No. 2 |
2 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
| Tuesday, March 9 |
Championship |
12 p.m. |
ESPNU |