Barton's Shanika Peterkin is averaging 24.7 points per game this season.
We're approaching the midway point of the DII women's basketball season. But for some schools, the 2020-21 campaign has just begun. It's time to welcome some new faces to the all-stats team.
As a reminder, this weekly list recognizes standout performances from individual players.
Note: All games played through Sunday, Jan. 17, were taken into account.
Guard — Alyssa Nelson, Wisconsin-Parkside
After scoring a combined 17 points in Parkside's first two games, Alyssa Nelson responded with her best offensive showing yet. The junior posted a career-high 32 points on 10-of-17 shooting in the Rangers' 86-82 win over Ferris State on Jan. 15. She also added nine rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals. Just a day later against those same Bulldogs, Nelson finished with 26 points, eight assists, four steals, three rebounds and one block. Ferris State held on 91-89 to split the two-game series. But Nelson appears to have found her shot.
Guard — Kadyn Blanchard, Ferris State
Speaking of Ferris State, it was starting guard Kadyn Blanchard who helped the Bulldogs avoid back-to-back losses against Wisconsin-Parkside. The freshman scored a game-high 39 points on 11-of-22 shooting while grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing out seven assists in the 91-89 victory Jan. 16. She also went 15-of-15 from the free-throw line. After scoring 18 points in her collegiate debut Jan. 8, Blanchard has set a new career-high in each of the three games since (21, 25, 39).
RANKINGS: Check out the latest D2SIDA women's basketball poll
Forward — Breanna Diestelkamp, Missouri-St. Louis
Blanchard's trend seemed to be contagious, as Brianna Diestelkamp also set career-high scoring totals in consecutive games last week. After recording a personal-best 24 points Jan. 12, the sophomore led all scorers with 34 points on 14-of-15 shooting in the Tritons' 85-56 win over Illinois Springfield on Jan. 16. She grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds to help Missouri-St. Louis dominate the glass 36-25.
Center — Shanika Peterkin, Barton
Who says the center position is extinct in basketball? We've got two of them on this week's all-stats team. First is Barton's Shanika Peterkin, who averaged 24.7 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.3 blocks during the Bulldogs' first three games last week. She's also knocked down 63.8 percent of her field-goal attempts. The senior's best outing came in Barton's 83-72 victory over Belmont Abbey on Jan. 15. Peterkin led all scorers with 28 points on 11-of-18 shooting while adding 12 boards, three blocks and one steal.
Center — Breanna Locke, Emmanuel (GA)
The other center on this list is Emmanuel's Breanna Locke. She finished with a game-high 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting in the Lions' 88-78 triumph over King (TN) on Jan. 12. The senior added 16 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and one block. By comparison, the Tornado had eight assists as a team. Locke was also a scoring threat on the perimeter, and shot 3-for-5 from beyond the arc.
