INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) has given the McKendree women's basketball team their second consecutive Player of the Week award as senior guard Clare Breden (Jerseyville, Ill.) was selected on Monday, January 13th.
This is the fifth-ever selection for the award in the program's history and the third such of the 2024-25 season. Sophomore forward Baylie Parks (Lake Zurich, Ill.) won it twice already this year, including one of them last week on January 6th. Last season, the program notched its first two Player of the Week honors in similar fashion, in back-to-back weeks in early December.
For Breden, it is her second time receiving the honor, as she earned it on December 11th of last year. In the home sweep of conference games this past week, she averaged 24 (48 total) points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.5 steals in the two games while shooting 48.5% from the field, 50.0% from three-point range, and 64.7% from the free throw line.
Head Coach Kari Kerkhoff gave the following on Breden's work ethic:
"We have players who are consistently stepping up in games, which makes us tough to defend, and Clare really embodied that this weekend. She came out with a tremendous desire to protect our home court, and the entire team fed off her. Clare's efforts along with the teams' selflessness is one key to our success this weekend and we're proud of the way she set the tone for us."
In the first win over William Jewell College on Thursday, the senior tied a career-high in points with 29 on 10-for-19 shooting overall and a season-best from deep, going 4-for-7 while hitting five shots from the charity stripe. She supported the high-scoring affair with three rebounds (two offensive), two steals, and an assist in 36 minutes of action. With participation in the match against the Cardinals, Breden broke the program's NCAA Division II record in total games played with 108, surpassing Madison Hart and Jordan Heberg, who each had 107.
In the following win at home against Truman State University, the Jerseyville, Illinois native dropped 19 points on 6-of-14 shots, including a three-pointer, and went 6-for-7 from the line. She tallied four rebounds and a trio of assists and steals in 39 minutes of play. With those minutes on the court, Breden surpassed Heberg again, this time in total minutes played in the program's NCAA Division II era.
Breden is second on the team in points (16.1 ppg), but is first in assists with 49 total (3.8 apg), and steals with 22 total (1.7 spg). She has scored in double-figures in 11 of her 13 games played this season. The senior also ranks first in the GLVC in free throw shooting with 70 makes on 95 attempts. Both are in the top 25 nationally, placing 24th and 18th respectively
UP NEXT
McKendree will be back in action on Thursday, January 16th, when they take on Drury University at the O'Reilly Family Event Center in Springfield, Missouri, with tip-off set for 5:45 PM CT.
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