CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – A hot shooting performance propelled the Drake women's basketball team to an 82-67 win over the Northern Iowa Panthers Saturday afternoon at the McLeod Center.
Four players led by sophomore guard Kyndal Clark (Webb City, Mo.) who scored 23 points finished in double figures for Drake (9-17, 4-11 MVC). Freshman Ashley Bartow (Sun Prairie, Wis.) had 16 points, while junior Mary Pat Specht (Shawnee, Kan.) scored 15 and sophomore Cara Lutes (Maplewood, Minn.) added 10 points off the bench.
The Bulldogs finished 33-of-57 (57.9 percent) from the floor including 13-of-23 (56.5 percent) from three-point range. The Bulldogs' field goal percentage, three-point shooting percentage and three-point makes are all season-highs.
UNI (12-14, 7-7 MVC) was paced by senior Jacqui Kalin who scored a game-high 25 points along with four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Hannah Schonhardt added 14 points for the Panthers. UNI was just 5-of-23 (21.7 percent) from three-point range. Coming into the game the Panthers were second in the Valley in three-point shooting at 34.1 percent.
“I thought we played a great all-around team game today and it was sparked by our defense especially in the second half,” Drake head coach Jennie Baranczyk said. “We did a great job pressuring the ball and it really helped us setting up our offense and we were aggressive on the offensive end.”
Kalin's three-pointer with 9:41 remaining in the game cut into the Drake lead, 59-52. It would be as close as the Panthers would be the rest of the game as the Bulldogs sprinted away with a 23-6 scoring run over the next seven minutes to capture their first conference road win of the year.
“We got great production from the bench today and you need that on the road especially in a tough conference like ours,” said Baranczyk. “UNI is a great team and I think they took us off the dribble a little too much and we turned it over a few too many times. Jacqui Kalin is a great player who deserves to be in player of the year discussions.”
The Bulldogs held a 48-39 halftime lead behind blistering shooting from the floor and from behind the three-point line. Drake finished 20-of-28 (71.4 percent) from the floor and 8-of-11 (72.7 percent) from three-point distance. Both marks are season-highs for a half. Five Bulldogs hit at least one trey in the opening half.
At the break, Bartow paced Drake with 12 points, while Lutes had 10 points off the bench including her first two career three-pointers made. Kalin led all scorers with 15 points, while Schonhardt added 10 points. The Bulldogs limited the Panthers to just 2-of-12 (16.7 percent) from three point range in the half.
Drake swept the season series over UNI for the first time since the 2003-04 season. Clark posted an outstanding overall box score finishing with six rebounds, a career-high eight assists, three steals and no turnovers. On the glass, Morgan Reid (Kansas City, Mo.) and Bartow each had eight rebounds to help Drake outrebound UNI, 37-30. Lutes' 10 points helped the Bulldogs bench outscore the Panthers, 31-22.
Drake's next action is Sunday, March 3 at Creighton with tip-off set for 2:05 p.m. against the Bluejays. Listen to 1350 KRNT and follow live stats at www.godrakebulldogs.com. Subscribers of Bulldog Vision will be able to watch the game for free via Creighton's live video stream.
