DRAKE BULLDOGS (6-2) at IOWA HAWKEYES (5-5)
1:00 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 20, 2009
Carver Hawkeye Arena (15,500), Iowa City, Iowa

Television: Big Ten Network; Brent Stover (PxP) and Stephanie White (Color)

Radio: KRNT 1350 AM; Talent: Scott Pierce (PxP) and Laura Leonard (Color)

THE SETTING

The Drake University women's basketball team (6-2) meets Iowa (5-5) Sunday at 1 p.m. The Bulldogs are on a four-game win streak and are looking to end a seven-game skid against the Hawkeyes. Drake also is looking to beat both Iowa and Iowa State in the same season for the first time since the 1999-2000 season.

ABOUT DRAKE

The Bulldogs are on a Missouri Valley Conference-best four-game winning streak and will enter Carver-Hawkeye Arena having outscored opponents by an average of 10 points per game during that span. Drake's success is aided by its low turnover numbers; the Bulldogs average just 14.3 turnovers per game; the seventh-best mark in the nation.

      Drake touts a Valley-best +5.13 turnover margin, a number aided by the team's low turnover marks and by senior guard Jordann Plummer's 3.6 steals per game average; the sixth-best mark in the country. Plummer sits atop the stat sheet with a 15.8 points per game average.

      Junior guard Kristin Turk has provided a spark for the offense both as a starter and as a force off the bench. Turk is the only Drake player to score in double figures in each of Drake's last five games and is second on the team with a 12.1 points per game average.

ABOUT IOWA

The Hawkeyes are 5-5 on the season, but have dropped their last three contests, including an 85-66 loss to Iowa State on Dec. 10. One of Iowa's five wins came by way of a 75-67 decision over MVC foe Illinois State.

      Sophomore guard Kamille Wahlin averages 16.1 points per game to lead Iowa's regular players. Junior Kachine Alexander, who averaged 21.0 points per game and 15.7 rebounds per game to lead Iowa early in the season, has been sidelined since Nov. 20 with a stress fracture in her right leg.

DRAKE-IOWA BONDS

Lisa Bluder constructed a 188-105 record in 10 years (1990-2000) at Drake before being named head coach at Iowa. Bluder led the Bulldogs to three MVC regular season titles (1997, 1998, 2000), four MVC Tournament championships (1995, 1997, 1998, 2000) and four NCAA Tournament appearances (1995, 1997, 1998, 2000).

      Iowa assistant coaches Jenni Fitzgerald and Jan Jensen were four-year standout performers at Drake.

      Jensen led the NCAA in scoring (29.6) as a senior in 1991 en route to being named the most valuable player in the Gateway Conference. The three-time first-team all-league choice also was named Academic All-American Player of the Year as a senior by CoSIDA, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association. Jensen ranks fourth on the Drake career scoring list with 1,996 points. Jensen was a recipient of the Drake Double D Award last spring which is annually presented to a former Drake athlete who enjoyed a distinguished post-collegiate career....Fitzgerald was a two-time first-team All-Gateway Conference performer (1989, 1990), setting a school record for single game steals (six), while graduating at the time ranked second on the career schools steals chart (250) and third on the career assists (516) and free throw percentage (.802) lists.

A DRAKE  WIN AGAINST IOWA

A Drake victory against Iowa would end a seven-game losing streak to the Hawkeyes and give head coach Amy Stephens her first career victory over Iowa. It would also be the Bulldogs'  first victory over a Big Ten opponent since beating Michigan, 61-60, on Nov. 30, 2004.

STRONG START

Drake's 6-2 start is the team's best eight-game record since the 1994-95 squad started 8-0. In addition, the last Drake team to start 6-2 was the 1984-85 squad that finished the season 24-6 and went to the WNIT.

FOUR STRAIGHT STATS

Drake is a riding a four-game win streak since Jordann Plummer's last-second layup gave Drake a 66-65 win over Arkansas-Little Rock on Nov. 28. The Bulldogs are shooting a blistering .474 during that span and have outscored opponents by an average of 10.2 points per game. Plummer has led the team with a 14.8 points per game average, while Kristin Turk has averaged 14.3 points per game during the win streak.

STATELY STREAKS

Drake's yearly matchup with Iowa has traditionally been a series of streaks, with Iowa winning the last seven matchups, but Drake capturing 17-straight between 1976 and 1985. Drake holds a 24-17 all-time advantage over the Hawkeyes.

WIN STREAKS, DRAKE VS IOWA

TEAM            DATES              STREAK

Drake            1985-76                17

Iowa              1986-95                 8

Iowa              2002-pres.             7

Drake            1998-01                 4

THE LAST TIME OUT

Drake 70, North Dakota 58 - Dec. 5, 2009

DES MOINES, IOWA --Monique' Jones and Rachael Hackbarth scored 14 points apiece to pace a balanced attack as Drake won its fourth straight game with a 70-58 victory over North Dakota Sunday in the Drake Knapp Center.

      Junior guard Kristin Turk added 13 points, while sophomore guard Amber Wollschlager came off the bench to score 11. Wollschlager also dished out a career-high five assists.

      Wollschlager scored five points to key an 11-0 run which saw Drake turn an 11-8 deficit into a 19-11 lead with 11:34 left in the first half.

      North Dakota went 8 minutes 12 seconds without scoring a basket late in the first half, enabling Drake to construct a 32-19 lead before a three-point basket from guard Jossy Bergan with 1:46 ended the cold spell.

      A three-point basket by Turk gave Drake its biggest lead of the game at 59-41 with 7:26 left.

      Jones and freshman guard Kayla Person had five rebounds apiece for the Bulldogs.

      Drake senior guard Jordann Plummer who was recognized prior to the tip-off for becoming the 20th player in school history to score more than 1,000 career points, had a season-low eight points. But she did collect four steals and four rebounds.

      Drake shot 45.3 percent from the floor, making 24 of 53 shots. The Bulldogs forced North Dakota into 19 turnovers, scoring 22 points off those miscues.

LAST TIME AGAINST THE HAWKEYES

Iowa 71, Drake 53 - Dec. 20, 2008

DES MOINES, IOWA -- Drake suffered through a 10-minute 34-second drought without a basket in the first half and paid the price as Iowa rallied to claim a 71-53 victory in the Drake Knapp Center.

      Drake raced to a 9-2 lead following a jumper by junior guard Jordann Plummer with 16:53 left in the first half but then missed its next 14 shots. Freshman guard Brittnye McSparron hit two free throws at 8:35 for Drake's only points in the drought.

      Freshman Amber Wollschlager hit a three-point field-goal to break the ice for Drake with 6:19 left.

      After the Bulldog run to start the game cooled, it was Iowa's turn, as it rattled off 14 consecutive points during the Drake drought.

      Drake shot just 29.9 percent from the floor, including 23.5 percent (8-34) in the first half.

      The start of the second half was more of the same for the Bulldogs as Iowa went on a 20-6 run to take a 30-point lead (57-27) at the 12:11 mark.

      Freshman Rachael Hackbarth scored six points during a 12-0 Drake run that brought the score to 57-39 at 8:05.

      Hackbarth led all Drake scorers with 13 points, including 12 in the second half. Plummer finished the game with 12 points for the Bulldogs

      Four Hawkeyes finished in double-figures. Ausdemore led the way with 20, followed by JoAnn Hamlin with 14, Kristi Smith with 12 and Kachine Alexander with 11. Drake dominated the boards as the Bulldogs outrebounded the Hawkeyes, 48-32, including a 25-10 offensive rebound advantage