DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake University women's basketball team finishes its nonconference slate this weekend as the No. 23/24 Iowa Hawkeyes visit the Knapp Center on Sunday, Dec. 21. The game is scheduled for 2:07 p.m. and will be shown statewide on Mediacom 22 with Larry Morgan and Laura Leonard on the broadcast. Ric Silvestrini and Molly Nelson will call the action on 1350 KRNT.
REWIND
Five players scored in double figures for Drake in a 102-58 victory over Northwestern College in front of a season-high 4,734 fans Thursday (Dec. 18).
Thursday's contest was the program's annual “Pack the Knapp for Character Counts” game as over 3,300 local elementary and middle school students filled the stands of the Knapp Center. The students were treated to a fun-filled day of educational activities and Bulldog basketball.
Drake (5-5) sophomore Lizzy Wendell (Blue Springs, Mo.) scored a game-high 20 points in 24 minutes, while Becca Jonas (Independence, Mo.) added a career-high 18 points and pulled down a game-high seven boards.
Sophomore Cortni Rush (Mason City, Iowa) and freshman Maddy Dean (Jordan, Minn.) each set career marks with 15 and 14 points, respectively. Redshirt senior Carly Grenfell (York, Neb.) had 12 points off the bench.
SCOUTING IOWA
Iowa is 8-2 on the season and enters Sunday's game off a 10-day break for final exams. The Hawkeyes knocked off Iowa State, 76-67, in their last game. All five starters are averaging double figure points for the Hawkeyes, led by Ally Disterhoft at 15.2 points per game.
PROGRAMS TIES
The Hawkeyes are led by former Drake head coach Lisa Bluder, who coached Drake from 1990-2000, leading the Bulldogs to three NCAA tournaments and 188 victories. Drake head coach Jennie Baranczyk was one of Bluder's first recruits at Iowa. Baranczyk was a three-time captain at Iowa from 2000-04 and helped lead the Hawkeyes to three NCAA tournaments. Baranczyk (Lillis) was an honorable mention All-American in 2003 and a three-time All-Big Ten honoree.
Iowa assistant coaches Jan Jensen and Jenni Fitzgerald were standout players for Drake and each spent eight years on Bluder's coaching staff at Drake. Both have been awarded Drake's prestigious Double D award, which is its highest accolade awarded to former student-athletes. Shelley Till, mother of Hawkeye junior forward Claire Till, and Missy Disterhoft, mother of Disterhoft played basketball at Drake and were teammates with Fitzgerald and Jensen.
HEAD TO HEAD
Sunday's contest will be the 47th matchup between Drake and Iowa with the Bulldogs holding a 24-22 advantage in the all-time series. However, the Hawkeyes have won the last 12 games in the series as Drake's last win was a 75-72 overtime victory in 2001 in Iowa City.
NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP HERE
Wendell, the leading scorer in the Missouri Valley Conference at 21.2 points per game, is having a stellar second season for the Bulldogs after being named co-MVC Freshman of the Year, in her first season. A native of Blue Springs, Mo., she has reached double figure points in all 10 games this year, including posting 20-plus points in a league-leading seven games. She is one of 27 players in NCAA women's basketball that is currently averaging 20 or more points per game. Wendell is one of just five underclassmen in the group of 20-plus scorers. Dating back to last season, Wendell has tallied double figures in 24-straight contests.
Wendell has scored 748 career points. The last Bulldog to reach 700 career points as a sophomore was her teammate Kyndal Clark (Webb City, Mo.). Clark needed 60 games to reach the 700-point mark, while Wendell needed just 40 games.
Wendell averaged 22.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.6 steals and 1.3 assists per game over three games on her way to collecting her first career MVC Player of the Week award on Nov. 24, 2014.
PASS THE ROCK
Caitlin Ingle (Runnells, Iowa) has been a catalyst for the Bulldogs' offense in her second season as the point guard is averaging a MVC-leading 5.8 assists per game. She collected her third career points/assists double-double with 14 points and a career-high 12 assists in the win over Wisconsin. The Runnells, Iowa, native is also second on the squad in scoring at 12.4 points per game. At 5-8, she averages 4.5 rebounds per game, which ranks third on the squad.
PICK POCKET
Ingle is also getting it done on the defensive end for the Bulldogs as she leads the conference in steals per game at 2.9. Ingle has picked up two or more steals in eight games this season, including nabbing a career-high five in the wins over Fordham and Northwestern. Ingle has collected 54 steals in 42 career games.
NEW FACES
Drake has four newcomers this season in freshmen Dean, Paige Greiner (Williamsburg, Iowa) and Jonas along with Rush, a junior college transfer. All four have cracked the playing rotation and are significant contributors. Jonas leads the team in rebounding at 6.7 per game, while Dean is Drake's top scorer off the bench, averaging 9.7 points.
Rush has started every game but one, and pulls down 4.1 rebounds per game. Greiner has provided long distance shooting off the bench as the Williamsburg, Iowa, native has knocked down two deep three-pointers to beat the buzzer before halftime in the Wisconsin and Idaho State wins.
TOUGH LOSS
Clark will miss the remainder of the 2014-15 season due to a knee injury suffered in the season-opening Nov. 14 game against South Dakota. Clark scored 17 points in the game.
Clark is coming off a historic junior campaign as she was named the 2014 Jackie Stiles Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year, became the 24th player in school history to surpass 1,000 career points and led the nation in average three-pointers made per game at 3.62.
Clark, who paced The Valley in scoring at 19.6 points per game, also knocked down a school and MVC-record 116 three-pointers, including a new Drake single-game mark with 10 against Loyola on Jan. 24. Clark recorded a league-leading four 30-point scoring games, with a career-high 41 points versus UNI, in 2013-14.
UP NEXT
Drake starts its Missouri Valley Conference schedule with road games at Loyola (Jan. 2) and Bradley (Jan. 4). The Bulldogs open MVC play at the Knapp Center on Jan. 9 when the Illinois State Redbirds visit.
YOU WIN THIS TIME
Even with the loss to its former MVC-rival Creighton, Drake still holds a commanding lead in the all-time series against its neighbor to the west. The Bulldogs own a 38-25 advantage, including a 15-12 mark in games played in Omaha. Drake claimed a season opening win over Creighton in 2013-14.
DOUBLE-DOUBLES ALL AROUND
Dean recorded her first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds against Creighton. Earlier this season, Jonas recorded her first career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Fordham. Ingle also has a double-double this year, but it was a points/assist double-double as she had 14 points and 12 assists in the Wisconsin victory.
TOURNAMENT HONORS
Wendell was selected the Most Valuable Player of the 2014 UTSA Thanksgiving Classic, while Jonas joined Wendell on the All-Tournament team as Drake collected wins over UTSA and Fordham in San Antonio, Texas on Nov. 28 and 30, respectively.
Wendell opened the tournament with 27 points on 8-14 shooting, including 2-of-4 from three-point range, along with four rebounds, two steals and two assists in 36 minutes in the win over the Roadrunners. In the victory over the Rams, she scored 14 points with two key three-pointers along with pulling down five boards.
Jonas scored 11 points and hauled in five rebounds in the win over UTSA. She topped that performance in the Fordham victory, collecting her first career double-double with 13 points and 10 boards in a career-high 33 minutes.
SHIVERS BASKETBALL PRACTICE FACILITY
On Nov. 14, the Bulldogs officially dedicated their new $8 million state-of-the-art home, the Shiver Basketball Practice Facility. The 44,000 square foot structure, connected to the east side of the Knapp Center, provides dedicated practice space for both the Drake men's and women's teams. In addition to a pair of practice courts, the facility features new locker rooms, team lounges and film room. The upper level of the structure includes the Courtside Club for gameday hospitality and campus events.
HIGH SCORING
Drake averaged 71.0 points scored per game in the 2013-14 season, which ranked just behind Wichita State (71.1) for the top mark in the conference. The Bulldogs did best the Shockers in points per game in MVC action by averaging 74.3 points per contest.
HISTORY BEYOND THE ARC
The Bulldogs knocked down a school-record 287 three-pointers last season, including a single-game record of 17 against Bradley on Jan. 26. The 287 three-pointers made ranks third in MVC history as Missouri State holds the top mark with 305 made during the 2004-05 season. Drake smashed the previous school record of 191.
DRAKE PICKED THIRD
Drake was picked to finish third in the 2014-15 Missouri Valley Conference's annual preseason poll, the conference office announced prior to the start of the league's basketball media day in St. Louis late October. The defending league champions, Wichita State, were picked first in the preseason poll, while in-state rival UNI was selected second. Evansville and Indiana State were selected fourth and fifth, respectively.
EARLY SEASON RECOGINITION
In addition to the preseason team rankings, the MVC also announced its annual preseason all-conference team, which included Clark and Wendell. Alex Harden of Wichita State, Dyanna Pierre of Southern Illinois, Jen Keitel of UNI and Sara Dickey of Evansville round out the preseason all-conference squad. Harden is the MVC Preseason Player of the Year. Clark and Wendell were selected to the All-MVC first team in 2013-14.
BREAKOUT
Wendell shined for the Bulldogs in her debut season as she was named co-MVC Freshman of the Year with Sara Dickey of Evansville. Wendell earned a school-record eight MVC Newcomer of the Week awards during the 2013-14 season.
The Blue Springs, Mo., native finished with 536 points and was just the 10th MVC freshman to score 400 or more points in her first season. The 536 points scored is the fourth highest total by a Drake freshman in school history, and the third highest by a freshman in MVC history. She scored a career-high 35 points against UNI, which is a school-record for most points scored in a game by a freshman.
WE MEET AGAIN
For the second time in three years, Drake and South Dakota squared off to open a season as the Bulldogs and Coyotes kicked off the 2012-13 season at the Knapp Center in a game South Dakota won, 74-69. Drake avenged the loss a year ago as the Bulldogs held on for an 89-81 overtime victory over the Coyotes at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.
The two schools also played in the first round of the 2012 Women's National Invitational Tournament at the Coyote Dome in Vermillion, S.D. South Dakota claimed a 61-53 victory in the matchup. Prior the WNIT matchup, the two schools hadn't played each other since the 1980-81 season. Drake owns a 5-3 advantage in the all-time series between the two schools.
HIT THE BOOKS
This past offseason, the 2013-14 Drake Bulldogs squad garnered a prestigious accolade from the Women's Basketball Coaches Association. The Bulldogs ranked sixth in the NCAA Division I WBCA Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll with a 3.571 team grade point average. It was the first time a Drake women's basketball team cracked the WBCA Top 25 Honor Roll since the 2001-02 campaign. The Bulldogs were the highest ranked team in the MVC.
BULLDOGS SIGN FOUR TO NATIONAL LETTERS OF INTENT
Drake welcomed four new student-athletes to the program on Wednesday (Nov. 12) as Sammie Bachrodt (Wichita, Kan.), Maddy Johnson (Sycamore, Ill.), Nicole Miller (Walker, Iowa) and Sara Rhine (Eldon, Mo.) signed National Letters of Intent to join the program for the 2015-16 season.
“We are thrilled to add the 2015 class,” said head coach Jennie Baranczyk. “As a class, they are going to be glue that continues to establish our culture. They each bring unique talents and gifts, grit and toughness and share a passion for Drake.”
Bachrodt from Wichita, Kan., is a 5-10 guard who has helped Wichita Kapaun Mt. Carmel High School capture one state championship and a third-place finish in her first three seasons. During that span, the Crusaders have compiled an outstanding 63-12 overall record. Bachrodt was named Most Valuable Player of the Kansas 5A Girls Basketball State Tournament her freshman season when the team won the championship. She is a three-time all-state selection, who averaged a conference-leading 15.8 points per game her junior year.
Johnson, a 6-2 forward from Sycamore, Ill., is set to play her senior season for Sycamore High School after playing her first three seasons at nearby DeKalb High School. She led DeKalb to three conference, regional and sectional championships. As a junior, she averaged 12.5 points and 8.1 rebounds per game as a junior on her way to being named third team all-state by the Associated Press.
Miller from Walker, Iowa, is a talented, multi-sport athlete at North Linn High School. A 5-9 guard, she guided the Lynx to the semifinals of the Iowa Class 2A Girls Basketball State Tournament her junior season. As a junior, she averaged 26.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game as she was named the Iowa Class 2A Player of the Year. A successful track and field athlete, she is a three-time Drake Relays qualifier and helped North Linn capture the team title as a junior and several state relays titles during her career.
Rounding out the class is Rhine, who hails from Eldon, Mo., but has significant family ties to Drake University and the state of Iowa. Her grandfather, Paul Twedt, played baseball and basketball at Drake. Twedt and his wife, Patty, are Drake women's basketball season ticket holders.
Rhine, a 6-1 forward, has led Eldon High School to conference championships in basketball and track and field. Like Miller, Rhine, has been highly successful in track and field as she is a three-time state champion in the high jump, and is the Missouri Class 3 State high jump record holder.
