Week four of the season presented a number of standout performances, here are five of the best through games played Monday, December 6.
Abby Brockmeyer, Southern Illinois
Southern Illinois forward Abby Brockmeyer averaged 25.5 points and 17 rebounds over the weekend, shooting 60% (18-of-30) from the field and 78.9% (15-of-19) from the free throw line as the Salukis split a pair of games.
Brockmeyer started off the weekend setting new career highs in points (34) and rebounds (16) as the Salukis beat Eastern Illinois, 74-66. Brockmeyer shot 12-18 (67%) against Eastern, and 10 of her rebounds were offensive boards. The very next day against Western Illinois, Brockmeyer again set a new career high in rebounds with 18 to go along with 17 points and four assists even though SIU came up short, 85-80.
She now has double-doubles in three of the Salukis' five games this season and has scored at least 14 points in four of those games. The 18 rebounds against WIU are the second-most for any Missouri Valley Conference player in a single game this season.
Brockmeyer is currently third in the MVC in points-per-game (18) and is second in rebounds-per-game (12.4). She also leads the conference in offensive rebounding with an average of 4.8 per game.
The Salukis, 2-3, return to action at home against Quincy on Sunday, Dec. 12.
LATEST RANKINGS: Power 10 | AP Top 25 | NET
Natalie Chou, UCLA
UCLA senior guard Natalie Chou had a career game scoring 31 points while dishing out 11 assists as the Bruins rolled to a 112-33 victory over San Jose State.
Chou, who averages 9.9 points per game this season, eclipsed the 30-point barrier for the first time in her career. She tied a career high with 11 made field goals, including a career-best six three pointers. The Plano, Texas native was also strong on the defensive end, recording two steals and two blocks.
UCLA led 55-12 at halftime of the game, holding San Jose State scoreless in the second quarter. The 112 points were the second-most points scored by the Bruins in a home game during head coach Cori Close's 11-year tenure at the helm.
UCLA, 5-2, is back in action on Saturday, Dec. 11 for a marquee matchup against UConn at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The game will be televised nationally on ABC.
Aicha Coulibaly, Auburn
Auburn sophomore Aicha Coulibaly topped the 20-point mark in three straight games as the Tigers rolled to three wins.
Coming off a career-high 27 points in a 91-42 win over Charleston Southern, Coulibaly led Auburn with 23 points and 8 rebounds in a come-from-behind 72-65 win over North Florida on Tuesday. The sophomore from Mali followed up that performance with another stellar night against Oklahoma State, leading the Tigers with 25 points on 9-of-10 shooting (8-8 2FG) and 6-of-8 at the free-throw line as Auburn clinched the SEC/Big 12 Championship for the SEC with a 77-66 win.
Over the three-game stretch Coulibaly averaged 25.0 points to improve her season average to 17.1 points per game, which currently ranks fifth in the Southeastern Conference.
The Tigers, 5-3, are back in action Sunday, Dec. 12, as they host New Orleans.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: Tennessee's 8-0 start earns the Volunteers the nod
Kaitlyn Davis, Columbia
Columbia junior guard/forward Kaitlyn Davis averaged a 13.5 points and 10.5 rebounds double-double as the Lions defeated 2020-21 WNIT semifinalist Delaware and reigning MAAC champion Marist.
The Norwalk, Connecticut native combined to shoot 54 percent (12-22) from the floor. She also filled up the rest of the stat sheet with an average of 2.5 assists, blocks and steals in the two games.
Davis' week began with nine points, 10 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal as Columbia came back from eight points down in the fourth quarter to defeat Delaware, 73-67, on Thursday. The Blue Hens, which came into the game 6-1, led 58-50 early in the fourth quarter before the Lions rallied to take the lead. Davis hit the game-tying shot and later capped the 14-0 run to put Columbia ahead 64-58 with three minutes remaining.
Sunday, Davis notched her third double-double of the season as Columbia used a dominant second half to trounce Marist, 78-49, on the road. Davis scored a team-high 18 points, grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds and added four steals, three blocks and an assist.
Davis currently ranks top 10 in the Ivy League in scoring (13.5), as well as top five in rebounding (7.7), field goal percentage (.477), blocks (1.3) and total steals (19).
Columbia, 8-2, returns home on Dec. 11 to take on UMass (9-1).
Ana Llanusa, Oklahoma
Oklahoma senior guard Ana Llanusa had two 20-plus point games in leading the Sooners to a pair of non-conference wins over SMU and Mississippi State last week.
The Choctaw, Okla., product averaged 23 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.5 steals on the week. She stuffed the stat sheet on the road at SMU, pouring in 25 points while adding eight boards, six assists and three steals in a 12-point win (84-72).
Llanusa was instrumental in the Sooners' dominant 94-63 win over Mississippi State on Saturday as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge, scoring 13 points in the first quarter en route to 21 points on the day. She finished the contest with four steals, three rebounds and an assist. The 31-point winning margin for Oklahoma marks the Sooners’ largest non-conference margin of victory over a Power Five opponent since a 39-point win vs. Oregon on Nov. 24, 2012.
Winners of four straight games, Oklahoma (7-1) will return to the floor Dec. 7 when they host Eastern Michigan at the Lloyd Noble Center. The Sooners will then host BYU on Dec. 10.
