SPRINGFIELD, MO. ? A free throw with 19 seconds remaining by senior Jill Martin (Norwalk, Iowa/Norwalk) proved to be the game-winner as Drake played stellar defense and denied a Missouri State shot at the buzzer en route to a 61-58 victory over the Lady Bears on Thursday (March 6).

The win, coupled with Indiana State's 66-61 triumph over Evansville's and Southern Illinois' 72-69 upset of Illinois State, set the stage for the Bulldogs to possibly play for a share of the Missouri Valley Conference regular season crown on Saturday (March 8) at Wichita State. A win by Illinois State over Evansville and a Bulldog victory accomplishes this feat.

Drake improves to 19-9 overall and 12-5 in league play with the triumph, while Missouri State falls to 10-18 on the year, including 8-9 in conference action.

"This is a big win because we finished off a close game,” Drake head coach Amy Stephens said. ”I hope it is a turning point to give us confidence that we can finish off games. Jill making the free throw (with 19 seconds remaining) was huge. Missouri State then had to make a three-pointer and we were excited to see them have to take a three-pointer as it allowed us to switch on the screens and it was a great defensive possession."

Martin paced the Bulldogs with a game-high 25 points, while senior Lindsay Whorton (Independence, Mo./Truman) and sophomore Monique' Jones (Lee's Summit, Mo,.Lee's Summit North) each added 11 points.

The Lady Bears were led by 21-point performances from Tahnee Balerio and Tiff Terwelp.

Drake finished the affair shooting 47.7 percent from the floor, while the Lady Bears connected on 24.6 percent from the floor.

The Bulldogs conclude their regular season at Wichita State on Saturday (March 8) at 1:00 p.m. The contest represents the 1,000th game in school history.