DES MOINES, Iowa -
Two distinctly different halves combined to serve the Drake University women's
basketball team a 66-57 Missouri Valley Conference loss to Wichita State
Thursday (Jan. 27) evening at the Knapp Center. The loss was Drake's first home
loss to the Shockers since 2002 and moved the Bulldogs to 9-10 overall and 3-5
in the MVC.
Wichita State held a double-digit lead for the bulk of
the contest, cresting at a 30-8 advantage with 7:48 remaining in the first
half. The Shockers built their lead with a relentless full-court press and by
taking advantage of 17 first half turnovers by the Bulldogs.
Wichita State's first 20 points came off of turnovers.
The Bulldogs finished the half on a 9-4 run before a Shocker three-pointer put
the halftime margin at 37-17. Seven of Drake's final nine points of the half
were scored by junior Alex Montgomery
(Cannon Falls, Minn.), who finished the game with a career-high 11 points in 14
minutes of action.
"You can't put yourself in that kind of hole and expect
to come out of it," said head coach Amy Stephens, who suffered her first home
loss against Wichita State.
Drake's 17 first half points go down as the lowest home
total by Drake in any half in program history.
The Bulldogs emerged from the locker room and promptly
went more than 11 minutes without committing a turnover, cutting the Shocker
lead from 22 points to as few as eight during that time. Senior Kristin Turk (Des Moines, Iowa) scored
eight of her team-best 20 points during the stretch.
Drake cut the lead to just four, 61-57, after a jumper by
Turk at 51-second mark. The Shockers went on to score the next five points to
end the game.
'I'm proud of that second half," Stephens said. "I'm glad
that we fought back the way we did. We'll focus on that second half and the
last five minutes of the first half."
Turk also led Drake in rebounds with eight, tying a
season-high. Junior Rachael Hackbarth
(Colgate, Wis.) totaled 10 points and seven rebounds while freshman Alyssa Marschner (Minneapolis, Minn.)
totaled a career-high eight points.
Wichita State's Jessica Diamond tallied a game-high 21
points on 8-of-12 shooting, including a perfect 3-for-3 from three-point land.
Diamond scored seven of the Shockers' final 11 points, stopping the charging
Bulldogs during the final four minutes of the contest.
The Bulldogs continue their four-game Valley home stand
Saturday against Missouri State. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:05 p.m.
