INDIANAPOLIS – Arguably one of the most marquee wins in league history came over the first weekend of competition as Kentucky Wesleyan was the first winner of Great Midwest Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week honors on Tuesday.
 
The league crossed over at multiple neutral sites against respective Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) and Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) on Friday through Sunday.
 
Five teams in the Great Midwest enjoyed 2-0 weekends in a strong display against regional competition. Ashland and Malone beat UIndy and the seventh-ranked Eagles also defeated Lindenwood in their home opener. The Pioneers also had the Lions as a common opponent and won both contests on their home court.
 
Kentucky Wesleyan pulled a Division II stunner by taking down No. 2 nationally ranked Drury at the Trevecca-hosted Pops Duncan Classic. In a battle of the Panthers, KWC clamped down defensively against a team that went 24-2 and averaged almost 83 points per game last year in a 76-75 final.
 
Ursuline was strong at home in a pair of wins against Quincy and Truman State, both from the GLVC, to also start 2-0.
 
Cedarville matched its offensive scoring output with 88 points put up against both Lake Superior State and Southern Indiana. The Yellow Jackets won in overtime with a late comeback against the Screaming Eagles.
 
Women’s Basketball Player of the Week
Tahlia Walton
Kentucky Wesleyan
Forward
RS Junior
Stanley, WI (Stanley-Boyd HS)
 
Walton and the Panthers scored wins over Southwest Baptist and No. 2 ranked Drury over the weekend, an incredible start for Kentucky Wesleyan’s season against regional opponents.
 
In two games at the Pops Duncan Classic Walton shot 17-of-21 (81%) from the field and averaged 20 points per game.
 
She dropped 23 points and five rebounds in the win over Drury. Walton didn’t miss a shot in the win against SBU on seven attempts from the floor and finished with 17 points.
 
Last year, Walton averaged 11.7 points per game for KWC as the Panthers finished runner-up in the conference standings.