The Missouri State Lady Bears placed two members on the 2007 Missouri Valley Conference Women’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete Teams, released Tuesday by the conference office. Junior guard Tahnee Balerio was a first-team selection and junior forward Tiff Terwelp was tabbed for the second team, as voted by MVC sports information directors.
Balerio holds a 3.88 grade-point average in private and commercial recreation and has served as the Lady Bears’ offensive catalyst all season long. The Buhler, Kan., product leads the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring with an 18.9 point per game average, and her 4.9 assist per game mark ranks third in the league. She has scored in double figures in 25 of Missouri State’s 27 contests so far in 2006-07 and has led the Lady Bears in scoring 19 times. Earlier this season Balerio picked up MVC Player of the Week and Prairie Farms/MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week honors after posting a Valley season-high 39-point effort in the Lady Bears’ 71-56 victory over Oregon (Dec. 16).
A 2007 ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District VII Second Team pick, Balerio received MVC Scholar-Athlete Team honorable mention last year after averaging 8.2 points and 3.3 assists per contest in helping the Lady Bears capture the State Farm MVC Tournament title and 13th NCAA Tournament bid in school history.
Terwelp, who averages 10.2 points and a team-best 8.6 rebounds per contest, has a 3.65 grade-point average in early childhood education. The Quincy, Ill., native has recorded eight double-doubles for the season, which ranks second in the Missouri Valley Conference. Earlier this season Terwelp matched or exceeded her career single-game rebounding high in five straight contests, and her 16 boards against Tulsa (Dec. 9) represented an eight-year high for a Lady Bear.
Indiana State junior center Laura Rudolphi was selected Scholar-Athlete of the Year and was joined on the first team by Lindsay Whorton of Drake, Rachel Maenpaa of Indiana State and Rebekah Parker of Evansville. Second-team selections include Kristi Cirone of Illinois State, Ally Thrall and Sara Cain of Creighton, Leah Phillips of Indiana State and Erica Smith and Erin Pauk of Southern Illinois.
