WICHITA, Kan. – The Drake University women's basketball team rallied past the Wichita State Shockers, 87-56, Sunday afternoon at Charles Koch Arena for Drake's first win at Wichita State since Feb. 6, 2009.
Drake (10-5, 3-1 MVC) rallied from a 35-32 halftime deficit with 55 second-half points behind a blistering 69.2 shooting performance (18-of-26) and making a stellar 16-of-18 from the free throw line in the final two quarters. Drake finished the game at 58.0 percent (29-of-50) from the floor and 24-of-29 (82.8 percent) from the free throw line.
"We stayed steady because they brought the first punch and they really play hard and had us frazzled," said Drake head coach Jennie Baranczyk. "They put the pressure on us and we didn't protect the basketball and at times we were over passing. In the second half I was really proud of our resolve and our effort to pull this one out today."
The Bulldogs were led in scoring by junior Lizzy Wendell's (Blue Springs, Mo.) game-high 27 points to go with five rebounds and five assists. Junior Caitlin Ingle (Runnells, Iowa) had 11 points, all after halftime, while freshman Sara Rhine (Eldon, Mo.) scored 14 second-half points and finished with 19. Rhine was a perfect 7-of-7 from the floor, and pulled down eight rebounds.
Newcomers Rangie Bessard and TaQuandra Mike paced Wichita State (3-12, 0-4 MVC) with 20 and 16 points, respectively.
The two teams swapped points to start the third quarter as the game was tied at 42-all after Bessard made a pair of free throws with just under seven minutes in the quarter. Drake then ripped off a 14-0 scoring run as the Shockers went scoreless for nearly five minutes. The Bulldogs would lead by as many as 34 points as they pulled away for the win. The 87 points are the most for the Bulldogs in the series since 1984.
Drake led by as many as nine points in the opening quarter, and held a 20-15 advantage at the end of the quarter. WSU claimed a halftime lead of 35-32 as the Bulldogs struggled with eight turnovers in the period.
However, the Bulldogs weathered the run by the Shockers after they fell behind by seven points with just over two minutes left in the second. On their final possession, Wendell had a good shot not fall, but Rhine was there to grab the rebound and make the put-back to take some solid momentum into the locker room at the break.
Wendell led all scorers with 15 points and five rebounds in the first two quarters. Rhine was next with five points. Drake shot 46 percent in the first two quarters and outrebounded WSU, 20-12. However, the Bulldogs committed 14 turnovers leading to 13 Shockers' points from the miscues. For the game, the Bulldogs outrebounded the Shockers, 46-23, and had 27 points from the bench. Despite battling foul trouble, freshman Sammie Bachrodt (Wichita, Kan.) had seven points and seven rebounds playing in front of a large group of friends and family. Junior Maddy Dean (Jordan, Minn.) had nine points and six rebounds.
Drake returns to Des Moines, Iowa on Friday, Jan. 15 to host the Indiana State Sycamores at the Knapp Center. The contest will start at 7 p.m. and be broadcasted on The Valley On ESPN3.
