EVANSVILLE,
Ind.
- Morgan Reid (Kansas City, Mo.)
notched a double-double with 15 points and pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds
but the Drake women's basketball team was defeated by a hot-shooting Evansville
team, 68-62, in its Missouri Valley Conference opener Thursday night at the
Ford Center.
Reid finished 6-of-10 from the field and 3-of-3 from the
free throw line for her third double-double of the season and added two assists.
Kyndal Clark (Webb City, Mo.) scored
a game-high 17 points and dished out a career-high six assists for the
second-straight game.
Evansville (3-9, 1-0 MVC) knocked down 8-of-18 from
behind the three-point line and scored 24 points off Drake's (5-7, 0-1 MVC) 21
turnovers. The loss snapped a two-game winning streak for the Bulldogs.
Four players led by Mallory Ladd's 16 points scored in double
figures for the Purple Aces. Ladd, a transfer from Valparaiso, who became
eligible three games ago, had 10 rebounds for her third straight double-double.
Evansville outrebounded Drake, 37-33, with 13 offensive rebounds to 12 for
Drake.
"I was disappointed with our rebounding effort tonight
especially the six dead ball offensive rebounds we let go," Drake head coach Jennie Baranczyk said. "We need to be
able to control the glass and get those balls and go in transition. We had 16
second chance points tonight but I'm not happy with the 15 we let Evansville
have."
The Aces led 34-27 at halftime behind Taylor Ware and Ladd,
who scored 12 points and eight points, respectively. The Bulldogs struggled
with turnovers in the opening half committing 11, coming into the night they
averaged 16.8 per game. Evansville scored 18 points off the turnovers in the
half.
Drake cut Evansville's lead to 38-37 with 13:49 remaining
in the second half after Carly Grenfell (York,
Neb.) converted a layup but it would be as close as they would get the rest of
the night. Chelsea Faulkenstein answered with her only three-pointer of the
game on the next procession and the Aces later held a 65-52 lead with just 1:29
remaining, it's largest of the game, after Samantha Heck's trey.
The young Bulldogs didn't quit though and scored 10
points but the Aces made three free throws and the Bulldogs ran out of time.
Drake finished 24-of-56 from the floor but only made 4-of-17 from the
three-point line.
Next action for the Bulldogs will be this Saturday at
Southern Illinois at 2:05 p.m. The Salukis are 3-9 overall and 0-1 MVC after
losing to Creighton, 81-60, Thursday.
"We had some good shots that just didn't fall tonight
especially behind the three-point line," Baranczyk said. "We have to refocus
and get ready for Saturday's game against SIU."