Illinois State is No. 9 in the nation in three-point field goals made per game and Redbird junior forward Katie Donovan is No. 12 on the individual scoring list according to national statistics made available by the NCAA Statistics Service.
Donovan, who already has scored more points than in either of her first two years at Illinois State, also sits atop the Missouri Valley Conference in points per game with 20.8 points per game through Saturdays games.
The Redbirds already have 100 three-pointers in 13 games this season, averaging 7.7 per game. With at least 14 remaining, the 2003-04 Birds are just 13 makes short of the single-season Illinois State record set in 1996-97. Donovan leads the Birds in three-pointers made with 28, followed by Jaci McCormack with 22, Erin Keeney with 18 and Taren OBrien with 12.
Shooting 33 of 73 over their last four games, the Birds not only have averaged 8.25 per game, but also are hitting 45 percent from beyond the arc. SMS is tied with Idaho State with the national three-point leadership, hitting 9.1 per game, while No. 10 Creighton (7.5) gives the Missouri Valley three of the top 10 three-point shooting teams in the nation.
The Redbirds, 8-5, 2-2 in the Missouri Valley, begin a three-game homestand with a 7:05 p.m. tipoff Friday against Evansville in Redbird Arena.
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NCAA Team 3-Pt. FG Leaders
(thru games of 1/10/03)
Team Games Made Avg.
1. Idaho State 12 109 9.1
SMS 12 109 9.1
3. Belmont 11 97 8.8
4. Niagara 13 106 8.2
5. Syracuse 12 96 8.0
6. DePaul 15 118 7.9
7. South Carolina 13 102 7.8
8. Stanford 15 116 7.7
9. Illinois State 13 100 7.7
10. Creighton 13 97 7.5
NCAA Individual Scoring Leaders
Player, School Games Points Avg.
1. Emily Fairholt, Idaho 12 284 24.5
2. Lindsay Whalen, Minn. 14 322 23.0
3. Trisha Skibbe, Okla. State 13 297 22.8
4. Hana Peljito, Harvard 12 270 22.5
Nikki Reddick, Coastal Carolina 10 225 22.5
6. Kelly Mazzante, Penn State 14 313 22.4
7. Jennifer Smith, Michigan 16 354 22.1
8. Shameka Christon, Arkansas 15 328 21.9
9. Beth Swink, St. Francis (PA) 12 256 21.3
10. Candace Futrell, Duquesne 14 298 21.3
11. Khara Smith, DePaul 15 316 21.1
12. Katie Donovan, Illinois State 12 250 20.8
13. Emily Christian, Tenn. Tech 10 208 20.8
14. Kathleen Nygaard, E. Washington 13 269 20.7
15. Kate Endress, Ball State 13 267 20.5
