EVANSVILLE, Ind. -
Senior Kristin Turk's (Des Moines,
Iowa) career-high 41 points carried the Drake University women's basketball
team to a 69-62 overtime victory over Evansville Sunday afternoon (Jan. 9) at
Roberts Stadium. The Bulldogs improved to 8-6 overall, including 8-0 when Turk
tops 20 points, and 2-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Turk's total, which included nine of Drake's 13 points in
the overtime period, doubles as the highest scoring output by any Missouri
Valley Conference performer this season. Her 41 points are the most by a Drake
performer in a single game since Wanda Ford (1982-86) scored 42 against Bradley
March 5, 1986. Finally, 41 points tie Turk for the second highest single-game
scoring output in the nation this season, two behind Emily Carter's 43 points
for Texas Christian.
"It was an unbelievable performance by Kristin [Turk],"
said head coach Amy Stephens. "I don't know what to say other than she hit
shots."
Turk finished the game shooting 15-of-20 from the floor
and 7-of-9 from the free throw line and accounted for nearly 60 percent of
Drake's offensive output. Junior Rachael Hackbarth (Colgate, Wis.) grabbed 12 rebounds and a career-high six steals
and, along with Junior Amber Wollschlager (Milbank, S.D.), was Drake's second-highest scorer with seven
points.
After a pair of free throws by Turk put Drake up three
with a minute to play in regulation, Evansville's Briyana Blair hit a
three-pointer with 55 seconds remaining to knot the game at 52. Two free throws
by Hackbarth and a layup by Evansville's Meagan Collins moved the score to
54-54 with 35 seconds left.
Turk drove from the right wing for a layup and a
two-point Bulldog lead, 56-54 with 18 seconds left; prompting Evansville to
call timeout. Following the stoppage, Blair drove through the lane for a
game-tying layup with nine seconds remaining. The Bulldogs turned the ball over
on the ensuing inbound, setting up Evansville with the final shot of the second
half. A miss prompted overtime.
The teams traded buckets to open the extra period, leading
to a two-point, 60-58, Evansville lead with just under three minutes to play.
The Bulldogs finished the game with an 11-2 run behind seven points from Turk,
two from freshman Angela Christianson
(Alexandria, Minn.) and a pair of free throws by Wollschlager.
"I'm proud of the effort," Stephens added. "We competed
and played hard all weekend."
Drake fell into foul trouble early in the second half,
allowing Evansville to reach the bonus less than seven minutes into the frame. The
combination of Drake's foul trouble and Evansville's occasional full-court press
erased the Bulldogs' 27-19 halftime lead and helped the Aces tie the game with eight
minutes remaining.
Turk scored 21 points from that moment until the end of
the game, making eight different baskets that either tied the game or gave
Drake a lead.
"It was a terrific individual performance," Stephens
added. "She came up big when we needed her."
Turk scored Drake's first 12 points of the game and
helped the Bulldogs hang with Evansville for the first 10 minutes of the
opening half. Wollschlager and Christianson pitched in five and four points,
respectively, down the stretch to help Drake close the first half with the aforementioned
eight-point halftime lead.
The Bulldog defense, noticeably strong for the
second-straight contest, held Evansville scoreless for the final seven minutes
of the first half before a Collins three-pointer broke the streak with nine
seconds remaining. The defense allowed the Aces just 19 points in the first
half, tying for the fewest points allowed by Drake in any half this season.
As a team, the Bulldogs totaled 33 turnovers, the most in
a single game since Feb. 15, 1997, also a victory over Evansville.
"When you have 33 turnovers, to get out of here with a
victory is pretty good," Stephens said.
Drake hosts Bradley Thursday (Jan. 13) at 7:05 p.m. at
the Knapp Center.
