DES MOINES, IOWA ? Drake head coach Amy Stephens preaches defense as the key to her Bulldogs' success and the Blue and White responded with an emphatic defensive effort on Friday (Jan. 4) as Drake held Missouri State to a 21.7 percent shooting mark en route to a 72-42 victory over the Lady Bears in the Missouri Valley Conference opener for both schools.
The 21.7 percent effort by Missouri State is the second-lowest mark by a Bulldog opponent in school history. The Lady Bears were also held in the first half to the lowest single-half shooting percentage (13.7) ever by a Drake opponent.
Posting their third consecutive win, the Bulldogs improved to 8-4 overall and 1-0 in the MVC, while Missouri State fell to 2-10, including 0-1 in conference play.
“It was a great defensive effort which allowed us to get our transition game going and get some easy points,” Stephens said. “ I thought Ashleigh (Brady) played terrific on both ends of the court as this was one of her better games.”
The contest began as a tight affair with the two sides exchanging baskets before Drake broke out on an 11-0 run to assume a 15-4 with 13:33 left in the first half.
Trouble lurked for the Bulldogs when senior Jill Martin (Norwalk, Iowa/Norwalk) was whistled for her second foul at the 12:50 mark. Drake had an answer responding with a 20-2 run over the next 9:22 to assume a commanding 35-8 advantage.
Senior Lindsay Whorton (Independence, Mo./Truman) paced the Blue and White in the initial stanza with 11 points, including a trio of three-pointers.
The final 20 minutes proved to be anticlimactic as Drake outscored Missouri State, 35-25, to earn the victory.
Whorton finished with a game-high 22 points, while sophomore Jordann Plummer (St. Louis, Mo./Cardinal Ritter), junior Ashleigh Brady (Lubbock, Texas/Frenship) and freshman Kristin Turk (Des Moines, Iowa/Lincoln) added 12, 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Maggie Dwyer paced Missouri State with a nine-point, 10-rebound performance. Tiff Terwelp was a force on the boards for the Lady Bears helping Missouri State to a 49-44 rebounding advantage with a game-high 14 rebounds.
Junior Lauren Dybing (Bloomington, Minn./St. Croix Lutheran) added eight rebounds, while rejecting three shots for the Bulldogs. Junior Kelsey Keizer (Arnolds Park, Iowa/Okoboji) distributed a game-high four assists for Drake against zero turnovers.
Freshman Katie DeWitt (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) cracked the scoring column for the first time in her collegiate career with a jumper at the 9:07 mark of the first half.
The Bulldogs finished the contest tickling the twines at a .444 clip. Missouri State committed 18 turnovers versus just 12 by Drake.
The Bulldogs will look to extend their winning streak to four as they close out a three-game homestand hosting Wichita State on Sunday (Jan. 6). Game time is 2:07 p.m.
