CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – In its only game this week, the Drake women's basketball team travels to in-state rival UNI on Friday (Jan. 16). The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start and will be streamed online on ESPN3.com with Bruce Haertl and Laura Leonard on the call. Ric Silvestrini and Molly Nelson will call the action on AM 1350 KRNT.
REWIND
Drake claimed victory over Southern Illinois in a high-energy game, 81-66, in its last action as Drake improved to 4-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference and its overall record to 9-6.
Sophomore Lizzy Wendell (Blue Springs, Mo.) led Drake in scoring with 21 points and added seven rebounds, two assists and two steals in 35 minutes. Fellow sophomore Caitlin Ingle (Runnells, Iowa) scored a career-high 20 points.
Redshirt senior Carly Grenfell (York, Neb.) had a season-high 14 points and has been a driving force off the bench for the Bulldogs this season, scoring double figures in the last four games and five of the last six contests. She made 5-of-7 from field goal range and 1-of-3 from three-point range against SIU.
Two three-pointers by Wendell as well as one from Grenfell pulled Drake in to the lead, 18-15, as the Bulldogs would never trail again in the contest.
SCOUTING UNI
UNI (8-7) is also 4-0 in MVC play. The Panthers have rebounded from a 1-6 start to the season with a 7-1 record in their last eight games. Sophomore Madison Weekly leads the team in scoring at 14.1 points per game, while junior Amber Sorenson is next at 10.1.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Drake and UNI series has been highly entertaining the last three seasons as each school has won three games in six meetings. Last season's two games were decided by a combined four points as the visiting team came out on top in their respective road games as Drake won, 66-64, in Cedar Falls, before UNI pulled out a 99-97 overtime victory in Des Moines. The Bulldogs own a 54-21 advantage over the Panthers in the all-time series.
FAST START
With its wins over Illinois State and SIU, Drake improved to 4-0 in MVC action, its best start to conference play since the 2007-08 season. Drake will try for its first 5-0 start to MVC play since 1998.
RUN AND GUN CONTINUES
All season Drake has posted high scoring numbers and it has continued in conference games with the Bulldogs scoring a league-leading 83.2 points per game. Overall, Drake has tallied 71 or more points in eight consecutive games. On the season, the Bulldogs lead the MVC in scoring at 77.7, which is 10.7 more points per game than number two, SIU (67.0). Drake's scoring mark ranks 20th nationally.
Great shooting has propelled the Bulldogs to their outstanding scoring clip as the team leads the MVC and ranks 14th nationally with a 46.1 percent field goal percentage.
PACK THE KNAPP
Drake is drawing a league-leading 2, 748 fans per game to the Knapp Center this season. In head coach Jennie Baranczyk's first season (2012-13), the Bulldogs finished third in average attendance with 2,265 per game and in 2013-14 they finished second with 2,456 fans packing the Knapp Center stands.
NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP HERE
Wendell is having an impressive second season for the Blue and the White as she leads the league in scoring at 22.8 points per game, which currently ranks seventh in all of NCAA Division I. She is second in the nation amongst all sophomores in points per game as Washington sophomore Kelsey Plum is the nation's second leading scorer at 22.8 per game. Freshman Kelsey Mitchell of Ohio State is first at 24.9.
Wendell has scored in double figures in all 15 games this season, and dating back to last year has scored 10 or more points in 29 straight games. She had a streak of 20-plus points in six consecutive games snapped after her 16-point performance against Illinois State on Jan. 9. She leads the league with 11 20-plus scoring games this year and has 23 20-plus games in her career.
Pouring in a career-high 43 points against Iowa on Dec. 21, Wendell set a Drake Knapp Center individual record for a regulation women's basketball game, and is also tied for 10th in points scored in a single game in MVC women's basketball history. The 43 points rank tied for seventh in Drake history. Wendell's 43 points is tied for second most in a game in the NCAA this year. Plum has the top single mark as she poured in 45 against Oklahoma.
Wendell's 43 points are the most scored by a MVC women's basketball player since Indiana State's Melanie Boeglin registered 46 points in a double overtime contest on Jan. 26, 2006, at Drake.
Scoring is not the only statistical category where Wendell is posting great numbers. In The Valley, she ranks third in field goal percentage (51.8), t-5th in three's made per game (2.1) and three-point percentage (37.8), sixth in steals (2.0) and free throw percentage (74.6), 13th in assists (2.3) and 18th in rebounding (4.8). What is even more impressive is Wendell is posting these outstanding numbers while only averaging 31.4 minutes per game, which doesn't rank in the top-10 in minutes played in The Valley.
FLOOR LEADER
Ingle has been a catalyst for the Bulldogs' offense in her second season as she leads the league in assists per game at 7.1 and assists/turnover margin at 1.9. Her assists per game mark ranks fifth in the nation. She is the only sophomore ranked in the top-5.
The Bulldogs' point guard collected her fifth career points/assists double-double with a career day at Bradley on Jan. 4 finishing with 11 points and a career-high 15 assists. Ingle is also second on the team and 11th in the conference in scoring at 12.3 points per game.
PICK POCKET
Ingle is also getting it done on the defensive end for the Bulldogs ranking second in the MVC and 48th in the nation in steals per game at 2.6. Ingle has picked up two or more steals in 11 of the 15 games this season, including nabbing a career-high five in the wins over Fordham and Northwestern College. So far, Ingle has collected 62 steals in 47 career games.
SENIOR SPARK
Grenfell, who is Drake's most experienced player with 117 career appearances, is playing great basketball off the bench for the Bulldogs in her final season. Grenfell has scored 10 or more points in five of the previous six games, and is averaging 11.3 points during that span. In those six games, she has knocked down 11-of-20 from three-point range. On the season, she is shooting 41.7 percent from beyond the arc, which ranks second in the MVC.
NEW FACES
Drake has four newcomers this season in freshmen, Dean, Paige Greiner (Williamsburg, Iowa) and Jonas along with sophomore Cortni Rush (Mason City, Iowa), a junior college transfer. Jonas leads the team in rebounding at 7.6 per game, while Dean is averaging 11.3 points. Jonas averages 12.3 points per game, which is tied with Ingle for second on the team and 10th in the league. Her 7.6 rebounds per game ranks fourth in the MVC. Dean (15th) and Jonas are the only freshmen ranked in the top-20 in scoring in the entire conference. Jonas has won three MVC newcomer of the week awards while Dean has collected one.
Rush started 10 of the first 11 games before being sidelined with a foot injury. 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. On the year, she has connected on 13 three's, which is fourth on the team.
UP NEXT
Drake continues its road trip visiting Indiana State (Jan. 23) and Evansville (Jan. 25) next weekend. The Bulldogs return home to face Missouri State on Jan. 30.
TOUGH LOSS
Senior Kyndal Clark (Webb City, Mo.) will miss the remainder of the 2014-15 season due to a knee injury suffered in the season-opener Nov. 14 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. She became the 26th 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, 2014. Clark recorded a league-leading four 30-point scoring games, with a career-high 41 points versus UNI, in 2013-14.
YOU WIN THIS TIME
Even with the 93-71 loss to its former MVC-rival Creighton on Dec. 14, 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.
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 Shivers 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) with 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, which was jointly held by the 2012-13 and 1997-98 Drake teams.
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 in 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 2014-15 season at the Knapp Center after doing the same to open the 2012-13 season. South Dakota claimed both season-openers, but the Bulldogs were winners last season in a neutral site game in Sioux Falls, S.D. South Dakota won a tightly contested game, 83-78, this season on Nov. 14.
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 grabbed a 61-53 victory. Prior to 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 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 State Basketball 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 long time 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.
