Raley named OVC Player of the Week for second time

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball junior forward Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) has been named the Ohio Valley Conference’s Player of the Week. The OVC’s weekly accolades are voted upon by the league’s communications directors.
 
The OVC honor is Raley’s second of the season after earning co-Player of the Week on November 29.
 
Raley was awarded OVC Player of the Week accolades after scoring 28 points with 19 rebounds in two games last week at Butler University and Eastern Michigan University. The 6’0″ forward averaged 14.0 points and 9.5 boards per contest for the week.  She also had six assists and a pair of steals.
 
The Haubstadt, Indiana native led USI with 11 points and a career-best five assists last Wednesday at Butler before a stellar performance at Eastern Michigan on Saturday. Raley recorded her second career double-double in dominant fashion. She posted 17 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, including six on the offensive glass. Raley’s 16 rebounds on Saturday marked the first time a Screaming Eagle pulled down 15 or more rebounds in a game since Kacy Eschweiler tallied 22 rebounds against Ferris State University on November 16, 2018.
 
Following the contest against Butler out of the Big East Conference and the win against Eastern Michigan out of the Mid-American Conference, Raley has scored 10 or more points in every game this season for the Screaming Eagles. Plus, she leads the squad at 15.4 points per game and 19 offensive rebounds this season. Raley is shooting nearly 47 percent from the field and 83 percent on a team-high 29 makes at the free-throw line.
 
USI’s defense held each opponent last week in Butler and Eastern Michigan to only 18 makes from the floor and 10 or more points below their season scoring average.
 
USI is in the middle of a season-long five-game road swing, earning the first road win of the season in a 66-60 final at Eastern Michigan. Southern Indiana’s win against Eastern Michigan was also USI’s first in three tries this season against an opponent from the Mid-American Conference.
 
Raley and the Screaming Eagles (4-4) return to action on back-to-back days this weekend to conclude the road swing. First, USI will travel to Wright State University Saturday for an 11 a.m. CT tip. On Sunday, Southern Indiana will make a stop for a 1 p.m. CT tilt with Cincinnati University. Both games can be seen live with an ESPN+ subscription.