SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Three Bulldogs scored in double figures, led by sophomore Lizzy Wendell (Blue Springs, Mo.) who dropped in a game-high 27 points, as the Drake women's basketball team earned a 69-61 victory at Texas At San Antonio Friday (Nov. 28) afternoon.

Freshman Maddy Dean (Jordan, Minn.) scored 13 points off the bench to help the Bulldogs win their first game at the UTSA Thanksgiving Classic as they improve to 2-3 on the season. Becca Jonas (Independence, Mo.) finished with 11 points and five rebounds before fouling out of the contest.

Wendell's big performance against the Roadrunners gives her 61 points in the last two games. Against UTSA, she added four rebounds, two steals and two assists in 36 minutes. Wendell poured in 34 points in the win over Wisconsin last Sunday (Nov. 23) and was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week on Nov. 24 for her efforts.

After trailing 5-2 early in the contest, Drake used a 12-0 scoring run, sparked by six points from Dean, to take a 14-5 lead. UTSA (2-2) never led again in the game, and the closest the Roadrunners came was pulling within two points at 54-52 with just over six minutes to play. However, the Bulldogs hit 11 free throws in the final minutes to close out their second consecutive win. The team finished the game 16-of-22 from the free throw line.

Wendell helped stretch Drake's lead to 35-29 at halftime. She and Dean finished with 11 and nine points, respectively to lead all scorers in the opening half. Drake overcame a slow start on offense as the Bulldogs scored just four points in the first five minutes of the game before the key 12-0 scoring run. Drake finished 15-of-31 (48.4 percent) from the floor.

 

The Bulldogs face the Fordham Rams Sunday (Nov. 30) at 2:30 p.m. to close tournament play in San Antonio before returning home to host Colorado State on Dec. 3 at 7:05 p.m.