DES MOINES, IOWA ? The culmination of the brilliant careers of Drake seniors Lindsay Whorton (Independence, Mo./Truman), Jill Martin (Norwalk, Iowa/Norwalk) and Brandy Dahir (Carrollton, Texas/Creekview) is drawing to a close and for one final time the seniors rewarded the Knapp Center faithful with a memorable sendoff in their regular season home finale as the Bulldogs notched a come-from-behind 72-66 victory over Illinois State on Sunday (March 2).
Whorton posted 15 of her game-high 23 points in the second half to helped Drake snap a three-game losing streak to the Redbirds and remain in contention for a share of the Missouri Valley Conference regular season crown at 18-9, including 11-5 in league play. The loss was the second straight for Illinois State, who stands at 22-5 overall and 12-4 in conference action.
“I'm really proud of our second-half effort,” Drake head coach Amy Stephens said. “We did a great job rebounding the ball, but our defense on Kristi Cirone (Illinois State guard) was key. There is a reason she is the best player in the league and Monique' (Jones) and Ashleigh (Brady) were dynamite in helping us pick her up higher and face guard her in the second half.”
The Bulldogs kept the game close in the first half but weren't able to capitalize on opportunities as Illinois State found a way to score every time Drake cut the lead to a one-possession game. The Bulldogs though entered the intermission down only five, 33-28.
A jumper by Ashleen Bracey at the 18:15 mark of the second half gave the Redbirds their largest lead of the tilt, 38-30.
The Bulldogs then went to work crafting a 14-4 run over the next 5:25 to assume their first lead of the contest, 44-42, on a driving lay-up by sophomore Jordann Plummer (St. Louis, Mo./Cardinal Ritter). Fueling the surge was junior Kelsey Keizer (Arnolds Park, Iowa/Okoboji) and Martin with four points apiece.
The two sides exchanged the next three baskets before Whorton put Drake ahead to stay on a jumper with 9:50 remaining.
Whorton's basket started an 11-2 run over the next 5:29 to give the Bulldogs their largest lead, 58-49 with 4:21 remaining.
The Redbird slowly chipped away at their deficit and cut the margin to six points, 66-60, on a Sha'La Jackson jumper with 43 seconds left in the game.
The Bulldogs again struggled at the line over the final minute against Illinois State, but had enough on this afternoon as Drake made six of 10 attempts over the last 43 seconds to collect the victory.
“Going into the second half we re-challenged the players to stick to the game plan and once we settled in we were able to shift the momentum in our favor,” Stephens said.
Martin hauled in her league-leading 12th double-double of the season with a 13-point, 12-rebound performance. The double-double was also the 38th of her career, tops among active players in the MVC, men or women.
“Lindsay (Whorton) had a phenomenal game, she really relaxed in the second half and Jill (Martin) did a tremendous job on the boards,” Stephens commented.
Plummer added 11 points in reserve duty to spark the Bulldogs to a 19-5 advantage in bench scoring. Drake also garnered strong contributions from Keizer (seven points and six rebounds), sophomore Monique' Jones (Lee's Summit, Mo./Lee's Summit North), with nine points and junior Lauren Dybing (Bloomington, Minn./St. Croix Lutheran) with an eight-point effort.
Kristi Cirone paced four Redbirds in double-figures with 19 points. Bracey, Nicolle Lewis and Jackson joined her with 14, 10 and 10 points, respectively.
Drake finished the game shooting 45.3 percent from the field and limiting the MVC's best-shooting team to a 40.6 percent shooting mark.
The Bulldogs dominated the glass, 44-34, including 28-21 on the defensive glass. The rebounds allowed Drake to enjoy a 36-28 advantage in scoring in the paint.
With 13 points, Martin surpassed the 1,800-point plateau for her career, while moving past Kay Riek (1980-84) for seventh place in Drake history with 1,802 career points.
The Bulldogs honored their three seniors in pre-game festivities and the trio addressed the Knapp Center crowd following the contest.
Drake looks to improve seeding and remain alive for a possible share of the league title as the Bulldogs travel to Missouri State on Thursday (March 6). Game time at the Hammons Center is slated for 7:05 p.m.
