CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The Drake women's basketball team rallied from a 12-point second half deficit to win at UNI, 76-72, Friday night at the McLeod Center. The road win improved Drake to 5-0 in Missouri Valley Conference action and 10-6 on the season; it's the first 5-0 start in league play for the program since the 1998 season.
A pair of freshmen led the Bulldogs as Becca Jonas (Independence, Mo.) scored a career-high 23 points and tied her career-best in rebounds with 13. Maddy Dean (Jordan, Minn.) finished with 16 points, including scoring 11 straight in a key 13-0 run that propelled Drake back in to the lead at 65-64 late in the second half. Dean added 10 boards as the first-year players each recorded their fourth career double-double.
“The two freshmen picked us up tonight,” said Drake head coach Jennie Baranczyk. “Becca did a lot of really great things for us inside. Maddy had an incredible stretch that really helped get us back in the game.”
In a game that featured 14 score ties and 10 lead changes, it was Dean's layup at the 5:59 mark that gave Drake its first lead, 65-64, since early in the second half.
UNI (8-8, 4-1 MVC) battled back as Stephanie Davison made two free throws to put the Panthers back ahead 66-65 with 4:53 to play. However, it would be the final UNI lead of the game.
Sophomore Caitlin Ingle (Runnells, Iowa), who tallied 16 points and six boards, put Drake up 72-70 with 1:15 to go. Ingle's final points of the night broke the 13th tie of the game. UNI sophomore Madison Weekly, who poured in a game-high 26 points behind six three points, made a layup for the 14th tie in the contest.
Jonas though helped put the game away, knocking down two free throws down the stretch and redshirt senior Carly Grenfell (York, Neb.) added two from the line with three seconds left as Drake held on for the comeback win.
“UNI is a really good basketball team,” commented Baranczyk on the Bulldogs' in-state rival. “Madison Weekly came ready to play tonight especially shooting the ball. They did some really nice things on us and we had to gut it out. Caitlin probably didn't have her best game, but push come to shove at the end she took it to the hole and made a huge shot.”
In a highly entertaining series the past two seasons, a combined eight points have decided the last three games between the two schools.
Trailing 40-32 at halftime, UNI went on a 15-4 scoring run to start the half to claim the lead, going up 47-44 as Drake called a timeout at the 16:23 mark.
In the first half, Jonas led all scorers with 15 points, while Ingle and Lizzy Wendell (Blue Springs, Mo.) each chipped in seven points. As a team, Drake outrebounded UNI, 28-14, on the glass and scored 11 second chance points while holding the Panthers to just two. For the game, Drake dominated the glass, 54-33.
Wendell scored 14 points in the win as the sophomore has scored double-figures in all 16 games in 2014-15, and 30 straight games dating back to least season.
Drake visits Indiana State on Friday, Jan. 23 with tip-off scheduled for 6:05 p.m.
