Friday, Jaunary 20th, 2012

NORMAL, Ill. – The Drake women's basketball team, after forcing the contest into overtime with a second-half rally, fell to Illinois State by a count of 71-67 on Friday (Jan. 20).

The loss drops the Bulldogs to a 9-8 overall mark and 3-3 in the Missouri Valley Conference, while the Redbirds improved their ledger to 9-8 overall and 4-2 inleague play.

Senior Rachael Hackbarth (Colgate, Wis.), after scoring only seven points during regulation, scored five in the extra stanza to help give Drake a 67-62 lead in its first overtime game of the season. Illinois State had an answer with a 9-0 run to finish off the extra period.

“It never comes down to just one thing in overtime,” commented head coach Amy Stephens. “I love the way that our kids competed, and it's unfortunate that we gave it back to them at the end.”

Hackbarth ended the night with a 12-point, 15-rebound and three-assist performance, but was plagued by foul trouble throughout. Hackbarth picked up her third foul with 1:30 in the first half and her fourth with 14:48 left in regulation.

Leading the Bulldogs in the scoring column was redshirt junior Brittnye McSparron (Apple Valley, Minn.) who scored 18 points and was a perfect 6-for 6 from the charity stripe. Senior Amber Wollschlager (Milbanks, S.D.) added 15 points and shot 7-for-12 from the field.

“Amber did a lot of good things,” said Stephens. “She does a great job screening for Rachael, which drew a lot of attention.“

The Redbirds closed out the first half on a 9-0 run including a buzzer-beating shot by Chloe Nelson to make the score 30-22 in favor of Illinois State.

“We had poor offensive execution in the first half and we were still in the game," Stephens explained. "It was ours to take.”

Drake went on a 17-6 run of its own over a nine-minute stretch to build a 55-49 lead with 5:47 left. However, Illinois State answered with an 11-6 run to knot things up at 60 apiece with 1:34 left in the ball game.

With the score tied at 60 and 24 seconds left in regulation, McSparron missed a lay up. However, Illinois State's Alexis Jenkins turned the ball over with eight seconds left to give Drake the ball back. Hackbarth had a last-second shot that clanked off the rim to send the game to overtime.

“Our second half performance was terrific,” said Stephens, who's team outscored the Redbirds by a 38-30 margin in the second half. “We took the lead at the perfect time but couldn't finish it off.”

The Bulldogs will finish off their two game road swing on Sunday (Jan. 22) against Indiana State. Tipoff at the Hulman Center in Terre Haute, Ind., is set for 1:05 p.m. CT.