THE SETTING: Drake, riding a four-game winning streak, returns home for a crucial game against Evansville Friday. The Purple Aces are tied with Northern Iowa for second-place in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 9-4 record. Drake stands in third place with an 8-4 record.

PROBABLE DRAKE STARTING LINEUP
Head Coach: Amy Stephens (third year)
Pos. Player (Ht., Yr., Hometown) PPG RPG FG% FT%
G-15 Lindsay Whorton (6-0, So., Independence, Mo.) 9.3 3.3 .372 .750
G-23 Linda Sayavongchanh (5-9, Sr., Des Moines, Iowa) 9.2 2.3 .487 .740
G-32 Natalie Raub (5-9, Sr., Dysart, Iowa/Kirkwood CC) 4.0 3.6 .370 .792
F-40 Jill Martin (6-1, Jr., Norwalk, Iowa) 15.7 8.8 .405 .759
F-42 Brandy Dahir (6-0, So., Carrollton, Texas) 10.3 3.8 .500 .567

OFF THE BENCH
Pos. Player (Ht., Yr., Hometown) PPG RPG FG% FT%
G-21 Jordann Plummer (5-6, Fr., St. Louis, Mo.) 7.2 3.5 .347 .764
G-34 Lauren Dybing (6-2, Fr., Bloomington, Minn.) 1.8 1.1 .412 .500
F-22 Tori Runner (6-2, RS-Fr., Saratoga, Wyo.) 2.3 3.4 .375 .708
F-24 Kelsey Keizer (6-1, Fr., Arnolds Park, Iowa) 1.3 1.5 .444 .500

PROBABLE EVANSVILLE STARTING LINEUP
Head Coach: Tricia Cullop (sixth year)
Pos. Player (Ht., Yr., Hometown) PPG RPG FG% FT%
G-1 Ashley Austin (5-9, Fr., Lawrenceville, Ga.) 2.8 1.7 .346 .500
G-23 Megan Liffick (5-10, Sr., Whiteland, Ind.) 16.0 4.7 .381 .811
F-33 Rebekah Parker (5-10, So., Silver Lake, Ind.) 11.0 5.5 .420 .811
F-54 Olivia Grant (5-11, Sr., Roanoke, Va.) 5.4 5.3 .421 .647
C-50 Kanika Rogers (6-2, Sr., Renton, Wash.) 3.7 4.5 .351 .441

OFF THE BENCH
Pos. Player (Ht., Yr., Hometown) PPG RPG FG% FT%
G-20 Courtney Felke (5-8, So., Rochester, Ind.) 6.7 1.8 .329 .760
C-32 Shannon Novosel (6-1, Fr., Lexington, Ky.) 3.8 .39 .358 .483

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: The Purple Aces own a three-game winning streak, having swept a home series with Wichita State (84-55) and Missouri State (71-53). last weekend

Forward Oliva Grant led Evansville in the Missouri State victory with 15 points on five-of-seven shooting. Four Purple Aces reached double figures in the scoring column.

Evansville returns three starters from last year's squad that finished 17-11 overall, including an 8-10 fifth-place finish in the Missouri Valley Conference.

ABOUT THE OPPOSING COACH: Tricia Cullop is in her sixth season as head coach at Evansville, owning a 79-82 career record, including a 46-56 MVC record. Prior to her appointment at Evansville, Cullop spent seven seasons as an assistant coach at Radford (1993-95), Long Beach State (1995-96), and Xavier (1996-2000).

During her first year at Evansville, Cullop set the school record for wins (13) by a first-year coach, and ranks second on the school's all-time wins list. Cullop played college basketball at Purdue and was a team captain in 1993. She also guided the Boilermakers to their first Big 10 Championship in 1991.

LAST TIME OUT: (Evansville 68, Drake 61, Jan. 19, 2006, Evansville, Ind.) -Evansville reeled off eight straight points in a one-minute 20-second span to hold off a Drake rally, while snapping the Bulldogs three-game winning streak.

Junior forward Jill Martin led Drake with a game-high 20 points, while joining the 1,000 career point club. Martin also collected nine rebounds and four assists.

Clinging to a 56-55 lead with2:39 left in the game, the Purple Aces went on an 8-0 run, converting two Drake turnovers into baskets, to grab a 64-55advantage.

Two free throws by freshman guard Jordann Plummer capped an 11-2 run by Drake to close out the first half, while giving the Bulldogs a 29-27 halftime lead.

Drake sophomore forward Brandy Dahir contributed 12 points on five-of-nine shooting, while senior guard Natalie Raub tied a season-high with eight rebounds.

Drake shot just 33 percent from the floor, while committing 19 turnovers, including 14 in the first half. Evansville shot 52 percent from the floor in the second, while finishing the game hitting 42.6 percent. Drake owned a 41-28 advantage on the glass, including a 17-5 edge on the offensive boards.

(Evansville 68, Drake 62, March 3, 2005, Des Moines, Iowa) Evansville scored 11 unanswered points in the first four minutes of the second half and then held off a late Drake rally.

Clinging to a 32-31 halftime lead, the Purple Aces went up 43-31 on a Laura Gaybrick three-pointer at the 15:54 mark. The Bulldogs struggled from the field and didn't hit their first field goal of the second stanza until Linda Sayavongchanh knocked in her third three-pointer of the game with 13:49 remaining.

Drake rallied and pulled within 60-58 on a three-pointer by Lindsay Whorton with 1:39 remaining. Alisa Kirby followed with a wide-open left handed layup before Sayavongchanh's jumper pulled Drake back within 62-60. Jennifer Utterback then scored the final six Evansville points in the last 43 seconds, including four at the free throw line.

The Purple Aces overcame 21 turnovers by shooting 52.8 percent from the field and outrebounding the Bulldogs 37-31. Utterback led the Purple Aces with 16 points and eight rebounds, while Gaybrick added 12 points off the bench.

Sayavongchanh led the Bulldogs with 20 points, seven assists, five steals and two blocked shots. She also tied a career-high with three three-point baskets. Jill Martin added 15 points, while Brandy Dahir finished with 12 after scoring the Drake's first six points of the contest. Dahir pulled down nine rebounds, while Martin hauled in eight. Natalie Raub tied a career high with five steals.

Cardiac Kids Drake has used last second heroics to win its last three games. The Bulldogs used a jumper from freshman point guard Jordann Plummer with nine seconds remaining to escape Wichita State with a 61-60 victory. Plummer then iced Drake's victory over -Missouri State with a pair of free throws with two seconds remaining to secure a 61-58 victory. Senior guard Linda Sayavongchanh converted a traditional three-point play with 1.6 seconds remaining to guide Drake to a 63-62 victory at Creighton Sunday.

HEAD COACH AMY STEPHENS: In her third season as head coach of Drake, Amy Stephens has compiled a 42-39 record (28-10 home, 11-28 road, 3-1 neutral, 2-1 overtime). After guiding the Bulldogs to a 16-15 record and a trip to the WNIT in 2003-04, Drake finished the 2004-05 season 14-15, earning the sixth-seed in the 2005 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. The Bulldogs upset No. 3 seed Creighton in the quarterfinals, before falling to Indiana State in the semifinals.

Stephens coaching resume is impressive, with stops at Iowa State, Nebraska and NCAA Division II power Nebraska-Kearney. Stephens began her coaching career at Iowa State where she served as an assistant coach for three seasons. In 1994 Stephens became the head coach at Nebraska-Kearney. She built Nebraska-Kearney into one of the most successful NCAA Division II programs in the nation, while becoming the schools all-time winningest coach with a 197-43 (.821) record.

A four-time Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, Stephens led Nebraska-Kearney to five RMAC titles while the team averaged nearly 25 victories per season. UNK earned seven straight trips to the NCAA Tournament and also set an NCAA Division II record with an 87-game homecourt winning streak that lasted from January of 1995 through November of 2001. In 2002, Stephens accepted a position as assistant coach at Nebraska, a title she held for a season before arriving at Drake. Stephens was the Womens Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) District 7 Coach of the Year and a finalist for national coach-of-the-year honors in 2000.

One o f the most prolific scorers in Nebraska school history, Stephens ranks third on Nebraskas all-time scoring list with 1,976 points as a four-year starter from 1986 through 1989. She also ranks third in career assists (444) and steals (280). She is one of the top three-point shooters in Nebraska history, ranking in the top four in career three-point baskets (third, 129), career three-point percentage (second, .399) and career three-point attempts (fourth, 323), despite having the shot at her disposal for just two seasons.

Stephens earned her bachelors degree in physical education from Nebraska in 1991 and her masters degree in educational administration from Nebraska-Kearney in 1998.

ALL THINGS COME IN THREES: Drakes string of 371 games with at least one three-point basket is the longest streak in MVC history. It has been over 12 years since Drake played a game in which it did not make at least one three-point basket. The last time Drake failed to make at least one three-point bomb was Jan. 4, 1994, against Illinois State.

Junior forward Jill Martin kept the streak alive against Illinois State by opening the overtime period with a three pointer.

PLUMMER'S PLAUDITS: Freshman point guard Jordann Plummer has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week twice this season. Plummer earned the award this week after averaging 9.5 points, 3.5 assists and two steals in Drake's weekend sweep over Wichita State and Missouri State. Plummer also was named the Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week Dec. 12. Plummer tallied a season-high 14 points on five-of-seven shooting as Drake downed Akron, 73-48, Dec. 8.

MARTIN'S MARVELS: Junior forward Jill Martin was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week Feb. 6, as she shot 50 percent from the floor and recorded her seventh 20-point game of the season against Missouri State, collecting 20 points. She shot 70 percent from the field, hitting seven-of-ten shots. Martin also has registered an MVC-high 20 double-doubles.

In Drake's 61-58 come-from-behind victory at Missouri State Saturday, Martin scored eight of Drake's final 12 points, including a pair of free throws that gave Drake the game's final lead.

OUR HOUSE: Drake holds a 131-34 (.793) record in the 13-year history of the Drake Knapp Center, including a 9-2 record against Evansville. The Bulldogs have used the home court to gain wins against teams such as Iowa, Iowa State, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Southern Cal, Utah and Wisconsin. Last season, the Bulldogs averaged 2, 636 fans per game. Over 33,000 fans per season have came through the doors to watch Drake womens basketball over the last 11 years, an average of 3,033 fans a game.

BULLDOGS ATTEMPT 53 FREE THROWS IN OT VICTORY: Drake marched to the free-throw line a Knapp Center record 53 times in a 76-73 home overtime victory against Illinois State Saturday. Junior forward Jill Martin fueled the come-from-behind victory with 17 second half points en route to her eighth double-double of the season (19-points, 13-rebounds)

SAYAVONGCHANH'S HEROICS GUIDE DRAKE OVER CREIGHTON: Senior point guard Linda Sayavongchanh's (Des Moines, Iowa/Lincoln) three-point play with 1.6 seconds remaining rallied Drake to its fourth straight Missouri Valley Conference victory with a 63-62 decision at Creighton Sunday.

Following a time out with seven seconds left, Sayavonghanh hit the game winning 10-foot basket over two Creighton defenders and was fouled by Angie Janis, making the free throw to climax a 14-6 scoring outburst by Drake over the last 4:07 to end the game.

Sayavongchanh, who hit her first nine shots, finished with 22 points on 10-of-11 shooting to go with five steals. It was her second 22-point effort of the season.

ROAD WINS KEY SEASON SWEEP: Drake's win Sunday marked its first victory at Creighton since a 74-69 victory Feb. 4, 2000 in Omaha. It also solidified the first season sweep of Creighton, Wichita State and Missouri State in school history.

FREE BASKETBALL: After battling Indiana State to a pair of overtimes, Drake played its first back-to-back regular season overtime games in school history when it went to the extra period with Illinois State...Drake three consecutive overtime games in 1995 (MVC Championship game against Missouri State, Mississippi in first round of NCAA Tournament and George Washington in the second round of NCAA Tournament).

GETTING AGGRESSIVE: Prior to Drakes game at Evansville Jan. 19, the Bulldogs had not had a player foul out all season. Both senior guard Linda Sayavongchanh and freshman Jordann Plummer fouled out at Evansville, and Plummer fouled out at Southern Illinois as well. Sophomore forward Brandy Dahir became the fourth Bulldog to foul out this season doing so in the final minute of Drakes double-overtime loss to Indiana State.

DOUBLE GRAND: Drake senior guard Linda Sayavongchanh and junior forward Jill Martin became members of the school's 1,000 career point club this season. Sayavongchanh, who has 1,055 career points, joined the club in Drake's 92-87 double-overtime loss to Indiana State. Martin , who has 1,110 career points, joined the club in Drake's 68-61 loss to Evansville.

FRESH FACES: Drakes roster feature seven new faces. Freshmen Ashleigh Brady, Chelsie Luhring, Jordann Plummer, Kelsey Keizer and Lauren Dybing join redshirt freshman Tori Runner and sophomore transfer Jane Horkey off the Drake bench. Horkey had to sit out last season per NCAA transfer rules. The freshman class is the largest since the 2002-03 season when Drake featured six freshmen on its roster.

Through 21 games this season, Drakes newcomers have accounted for 26.4 percent of Drakes points (358 of 1,357), while averaging 17 points per game. The newcomers also have tallied 223 of Drakes 777 rebounds, or 29 percent. They average 10.9 rebounds per game.

OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN: Senior Linda Sayavongchanh, junior Jill Martin and sophomore Lindsay Whorton are tri-captains this season, voted on by their teammates. Both Sayavongchanh and Martin served as captains last season.

LINE EM UP: Drake has used four lineups this season. Junior forward Jill Martin is the only player to start every game. Drake is 6-4 with the lineup of Jordann Plummer, Brandy Dahir, Natalie Raub, Lindsay Whorton and Martin. The Bulldogs are 0-1 with the lineup of Jane Horkey, Ashleigh Brady, Plummer, Whorton and Martin and they also are 1-2 with the lineup of Linda Sayavongchanh, Plummer, Raub, Martin and Dahir. Drake is 5-2 with Sayavongchanh, Raub, Dahir, Whorton and Martin in the lineup.

JILL OF ALL TRADES: Junior forward Jill Martin is third in the MVC in rebounding (8.8) and is seventh in scoring (15.7). She leads the team in offensive rebounds with 63, averaging three per game. Martin has recorded nine double-doubles this season, including a 20-points, 12-rebound effort Saturday at Missouri State.

Martin stands fifth on the school's career double-double chart with 20. Jan Krieger compiled 23 double-doubles from 1980-82 and ranks fifth on the school's career list.

LINDAS LAURELS: Senior point guard Linda Sayavongchanh, who missed the first two games of the season, is averaging 9.2 points and 2.3 rebounds. Sayavongchanh leads the team in assists (57) and is second in steals (39).

Sayavongchanh, who has started the last eight games, is averaging 11.9 points and 2.7 rebounds, while connecting on 75 percent of her free throws in MVC action. In the nine nonconference games, she averaged 4.6 points while shooting 38.2 percent from the floor.

Sayavongchanh scored a season-high 22 points in Drakes 92-87 double-overtime loss to Indiana State. She finished seven-of-12 from the floor, including 7-of-13 from the free throw line. She also established season-highs in rebounds (seven) and assists (seven) in the loss.

Sayavongchanh returned to the Drake starting lineup for the first time Dec. 21 against UC-Riverside. She finished with five points.

PLUMMER SERVICE: Freshman Jordann Plummer has started 14 of 21 games at point guard for Drake, averaging 7.2 points. Plummer tallied a season-high 14 points on five-of-seven shooting, including two-of-three from the three-point line, in Drakes 73-48 victory over Akron. She also established a season high with five assists and tied her season-high with four steals. Plummer leads Drake with 44 steals and is second on the team in assists with 42.

Plummer has played the role of the hero in Drake's wins at Wichta State and Missouri State. In Drake's come-from-behind victory at Wichita State, Plummer hit the game winning shot in the paint with nine seconds left. Then, on Saturday, Plummer sealed Drake's victory at Missouri State by stealing the ball from Lady Bear swingman Kari Koch with 3 seconds remaining and sinking the final two free throws to give Drake the 61-58 victory.

Plummer had a career-high 10 rebounds, and missed her first career double-double, finishing with nine points, at Oregon State.

DIAL NINE FOR LONG DISTANCE: Sophomore swingman Lindsay Whorton leads Drake in three-point field goals with 39. The third leading scorer on the team, Whorton averages 9.2 points and 3.3 rebounds. Whorton has scored a season-high 20 points twice this season, most recently in Drakes 92-87 double-overtime loss to Indiana State. Whorton has hit four three-point shots in four games this season.

Whorton returned to the Drake starting lineup at Wichita State after spending three games on the bench as a reserve. She finished the game with five points.

DAHIR TO BE DIFFERENT: Sophomore forward Brandy Dahir is averaging 10.3 points, the second highest mark on the team. In Drakes 68-62 victory at Bradley, Dahir scored a season-high 21 points on nine of nine shooting. Dahir is tied for sixth in the MVC in field goal percentage (50.0)She is also second on the team in rebounding, averaging 3.8.

LONG-RANGE LAUREN: Drake freshman Lauren Dybing has connected on five-of-10 three-point attempts this season and is the third leading freshman scorer, averaging 2.3 points.

Dybing scored a season-high 10 points in 11 minutes against Iowa State. She also averages 1.5 rebounds, and is shooting 41.9 percent from the floor. Dybing has played in 19-of-21 games this season.

ATTA GIRL ASHLEIGH: Freshman guard Ashleigh Brady earned her first career start against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and scored four points. Brady, who was sidelined with an injury for six games, returned to the rotation against Illinois State and scored eight points on three-of-three shooting.

Brady, who is averaging 4.9 points, tallied a season-high 12 points against UC-Riverside.

NATS NUMBERS: Senior guard Natalie Raub has started 20 of 21 games this season averaging four points. In Drakes 70-63 victory over Missouri State, Raub scored a season-high 11 points, while earning career-highs in assists (five) and steals (six).

In conference games, Raub is averaging 5.4 points, and 4.5 rebounds, while shooting 44.2 percent from the floor and 78.9 percent from the free-throw line.

RUNNERS LOG: After missing the 2004-05 season with a medical redshirt, freshman Tori Runner has been a spark off the Bulldog bench.

Runner, who is averaging 4.2 rebounds and 2.5 points in conference games, hauled in a season-high seven rebounds at Southern Illinois.

The 6-2 post has seen action in Drakes last 15 games and scored a career-high nine points in Drakes 76-73 overtime victory against Illinois State.

JUST JANE: Sophomore forward Jane Horkey, a transfer from Iowa State, is averaging 3.3 points and 2.4 rebounds. Horkey earned her first career start against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Dec. 1, collecting four points and four rebounds.

KEIZER ROLE: Freshman forward Kelsey Keizer played a big role in Drake's 63-62 victory over Creighton. Keizer, who had played just 29 minutes all season entering the game, set career-highs in minutes (16), points (five) and rebounds (seven).

MARTIN HONORED: Drake junior forward Jill Martin was selected to the 2005-06 Missouri Valley Conference Preseason All-Conference team. The squad was selected by coaches, sports information directors and media members in the MVC.

Martin, the only junior on the squad, averaged 14.3 points and 7.8 rebounds. Martin also earned first team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors as well as being named to the All-Tournament team for her efforts during the conference tournament.

THATS A NICE STREAK: With Drakes 70-63 victory over Missouri State, Drake has won 12 consecutive MVC home openers, the third longest active streak in the nation. Louisiana Tech has won 14 consecutive home conference openers (10 WAC, 4 Sun Belt). Duke, (ACC), Holy Cross (Patriot League) and St. Josephs (Pa.) (A-10) have each won 13 consecutive home conference openers.

2006 SIGNEES: High school standouts Kaniesha Agee (Kansas City, Mo.), Katie Dewitt (Circle Pines, Minn.), Michelle Anderson (Dearborn, Mo.) and Monique Jones (Lees Summit, Mo.) have all signed national letters of intent at Drake University, indicating they will join the Bulldog womens basketball team in the fall of 2006.

Agee, a 5-8 guard, earned second team Missouri Class 3A all-state honors, while helping Pembroke High School to the Missouri Class 3A state championship en route to a 27-4 record. She averaged 8.0 points and 6.2 assists last season.

Monique Jones, a 5-10 forward has been a two-time all-Big 7 Conference performer at Lees Summit North High School during her three-year career as a starter. She averaged 13.2 points and 7.9 rebounds last season, while shooting 46.9 percent from the floor.

Dewitt, a 6-0 guard, averaged 14.6 points and 5.8 rebounds at Centennial High School last year while earning first-team all-Northwest Suburban Conference honors for three straight years. She scored a career-high 30 points against Anoka and was named third-team all-Minneapolis/St. Paul Metro by the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Michelle Anderson, a 6-3 forward, averaged 17.6 points, 12.3 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game last season for North Platte High School en route to earning first team Missouri Class 2A all-state honors by both the Associated Press and the Missouri State High School Coaches Association. A unanimous first-team all-KCI Conference and all-district choice, Jones guided North Platte High School to a 23-4 record in 2004-05.