McLean County Times

Doneelah Washington has been named the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Freshman of the Week for the third time this season, according to an announcement by the league office on Monday. Washington's performances contributed significantly to Illinois State's victories over Indiana State and Evansville last week.

During these games, Washington averaged 12.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 3.3 blocks per game with a shooting accuracy of 50% from the field. She achieved her first career double-double against Indiana State, scoring a season-high of 15 points along with 10 rebounds and two blocks. This accomplishment makes her one of only three Valley rookies to achieve a double-double this year.

In her game against Indiana State, Washington also recorded seven offensive rebounds—the highest by any Valley freshman in a single game this season. Her shooting performance included hitting six out of eight shots (75%), marking her sixth game this season where she shot over 60% from the field—a leading statistic among Valley freshmen.

Against Evansville, Washington was close to another double-double with 10 points, nine rebounds, and four blocks. This was her second MVC play performance with four or more blocks after initially achieving it at Murray State on December 29.

Across both games last week, Washington accumulated six blocks, raising her total to a league-best ten blocks since the start of Valley play. She joins Kate Bullman and Kaylyn Gebhardt as one of only three Redbird freshmen since the 2009-10 season to record ten or more blocks in MVC play.

Through three games in MVC play, Washington leads all freshmen in several categories including points (tied at 31), rebounds (23), offensive rebounds (11), field goal percentage (tied at 54.5%), and blocks (10).

Washington shares the distinction of being one of two Valley rookies who have earned multiple MVC Freshman of the Week honors this season alongside Camryn Runner from Evansville. Alongside Shannon Dowell from last year, she is one of only two Redbirds to receive multiple awards since its introduction before the start of the 2023-24 campaign.

The Illinois State Redbirds' website and app remain key resources for fans seeking tickets, multimedia content, merchandise, and more related to Illinois State athletics.