MACOMB, ILL. ? An 18-point effort from senior Jill Martin (Norwalk, Iowa/Norwalk) lifted Drake to a 77-58 victory at Western Illinois on Wednesday (Dec. 5).

The win was the first on the road for the Bulldogs this season and extended Drake's winning streak to three gams while pushing its ledger to 5-3. The Westerwinds fell to 1-6 on the campaign.

“Our defense was terrific this evening,” Drake head coach Amy Stephens said. “Overall it was a great game for our team."

After falling behind 4-0, Drake's offense came alive as the Bulldogs went on a 16-0 run to assume a 16-4 advantage. Six different Drake players scored in the run with sophomore Jordann Plummer (St. Louis, Mo./Cardinal Ritter) and freshman Kristin Turk (Des Moines, Iowa/Lincoln) each connecting on a three-pointer.

Drake finished the first 20 minutes shooting 40 percent from the field, while limiting the Westerwinds to a 28.6 percent shooting mark en route to a 36-15 lead.

The Bulldogs forced Western Illinois into 19 first-half turnovers, which Drake converted into 19 points.

Drake finished the game, shooting 52.9 percent from the floor, drilling 27 of 51 shots including seven three-point baskets.

The Westerwinds picked up their intensity in the final stanza but were unable to get closer than 15 points..

Joining Martin in double-figures was Turk, senior Lindsay Whorton (Independence, Mo./Truman), Plummer and junior Kelsey Keizer (Arnolds Park, Iowa/Okoboji) with 14, 11, 11 and 10 points, respectively. Turk finished with three three-point baskets.

Martin added a game-high eight rebounds along with four assists and two steals.

Drake collected 10 steals with Plummer leading the way with three.

Gina Hugellier led Western Illinois with 18 points.

The Bulldogs return to action on Sunday (Dec. 9) as Drake welcomes in-state rival Iowa State into the Knapp Center for a 2:07 p.m. matinee.