DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake University women's basketball team is set to begin a three-game homestand on Friday night when Drake welcomes Indiana State to the Knapp Center. The contest against the Sycamores is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on The Valley On ESPN3.
 
Drake (10-5, 3-1 MVC) enters Friday's Missouri Valley Conference matchup on a three-game winning streak after claiming road wins at Missouri State (82-75) and Wichita State (87-56) last weekend. The successful road trip followed a big home win over Evansville back on Jan. 3.
 
At Wichita State, the Bulldogs 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. The 87 points on the Shockers are the most scored by the Bulldogs in the all-time series since the 1984 season.
 
Junior Lizzy Wendell (Blue Springs, Mo.) poured in a 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. On Monday, Rhine earned her second straight MVC Newcomer of the Week honor.
 
During the winning streak, the Bulldogs, who lead the MVC in scoring at 80.7 points a game, are averaging 87.7 points and outscoring their opponents by a 26.7 margin while shooting 56.1 percent. Also as a team, the Bulldogs have made 23 three-pointers, handed out an average of 23.0 assists a game and tallied a 20.3 rebounding margin on the glass.
 
Indiana State (6-8, 2-1 MVC), winners of three of its previous five games with the two losses by a combined 11 points, is playing its first road contest since winning at Tulsa on Dec. 6. The Sycamores opened Valley play with three consecutive home games. Cierra Ceazar is averaging a team-best 13.2 points per game while Joyea Marshall is second in the league in rebounding at 8.2.
 
Drake closes the weekend on Sunday as the Bulldogs host Illinois State in a night contest starting at 6 p.m. The matchup with the Redbirds follows a Drake men's home game vs SIU at 3 p.m.