DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake University women's basketball team fell to the No. 22/16 Iowa State Cyclones, 89-47, on Sunday afternoon at the Knapp Center in front of 3,241 fans
Freshman Lizzy Wendell (Blue Springs, Mo.) led the Bulldogs with a career-high 15 points, including a career-best three three-pointers. The loss puts Drake at 2-3
overall on the young season, while the Cyclones improve to 4-0.
The Cyclones led the Bulldogs much of the contest, shooting 47.5 percent from the floor, compared to Drake's 31.0 percent. Iowa State senior Hallie Christofferson led all scorers with 25 points, including 7-of-8 from the free throw line as the Cyclones connected on 21-of-23 free throws in the game.
Drake struggled to put the basketball in the net in the first half, especially from behind the three-point line, hitting just 3-of-15 attempts. The Bulldogs improved in the second half, sinking 5-of-9 from beyond the arc, including back-to-back treys by junior Kyndal Clark (Webb City, Mo.). Clark was Drake's other player to finish in double-figures with 10 points.
Early on the Bulldogs hung tough with one of the best teams in the country, cutting Iowa State's lead to four points midway through the opening half. However, a 20-point scoring run by the Cyclones over the first half's final five minutes and in the opening minute of the second half put Drake at a serious disadvantage.
Senior Alyssa Marschner (Plymouth, Minn.) started the Bulldogs off in the second half with a layup and a steal and another layup, but the game got away from the Drake as Iowa State pulled away with 49 second-half points. Marschner had eight points along with five rebounds, three steals and one assist.
The Bulldogs play two games next week at Seattle University's Thanksgiving tournament with their first matchup against Cornell University on Friday, Nov. 29 at 7 p.m. CST, while the following day (Nov. 30) Drake takes on either Seattle or Coastal Carolina. A contest with Idaho State on Thursday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. will be the Bulldogs next home game.
