PEORIA, Ill. – The Drake University women's basketball team closes its road swing at Bradley on Sunday afternoon. Tip-off between the Bulldogs and the Braves is scheduled for 2 p.m. Ric Silvestrini and Molly Nelson will call the action on 1350 KRNT.
REWIND
Drake (6-6, 1-0 MVC) started 2015 with a 86-60 road victory at Loyola on Friday night in the Missouri Valley Conference opener for both teams. Sophomore Lizzy Wendell (Blue Springs, Mo.) scored a game-high 27 points, while freshman Maddy Dean (Jordan, Minn.) added a career-high points 23 points and 10 rebounds in her first career start.
The two teams started slowly on the offensive end as Drake (6-6, 1-0 MVC) freshman Becca Jonas (Independence, Mo.) scored the contest's first points nearly two minutes in. Loyola (2-10, 0-1 MVC) scored the next four points, but a 11-0 scoring run by the Bulldogs along with forcing seven consecutive Ramblers' turnovers gave the Bulldogs a 11-4 lead as they never trailed again in the game. Later, a 20-3 scoring run helped Drake extend its lead to 24-7 at the 10:52 mark as the Bulldogs went in to halftime with a commanding 47-22 advantage. They finished the first half at 48 percent from the floor and 41 percent from three-point range.
In the second half, Loyola pulled within 15 points with under 12 minutes to go in the game, but Drake answered with another 11-0 scoring to put the game away as the Bulldogs would lead by as many as 26 points on their way to claiming their first conference opening win since the 2011-12 campaign.
Sophomore Caitlin Ingle (Runnells, Iowa) scored just two points in the game, but dished out a game-high nine assists along with nabbing four steals before fouling out. Dean recorded her second career double-double, while freshman Paige Greiner (Williamsburg, Iowa) chipped in a career-high eight points off the bench.
Senior Carly Grenfell (York, Neb.) was the other Bulldog in double-figures as she tallied 12 points off the bench. Along with leading all scorers, Wendell posted solid numbers across the scorebook as she added six rebounds, five assists and five steals in 32 minutes. Wendell knocked down 6-of-8 from the free throw line, while Dean made 7-of-8 and Grenfell 4-of-4 as the team finished the game 17-of-21 (81 percent).
RUN AND GUN
Drake has lit the scoreboard up in its previous three games with 286 combined points scored. First Drake scored 102 points in a win over Northwestern College and followed that with a season-high 98 points in the close defeat to Iowa. On the season, Drake is scoring a MVC-high 76.5 points per game with Southern Illinois next at 67.0. The Bulldogs pace the Valley in average three-pointers per game at 8.3, field goal percentage at 44.1 and assists per game at 17.3.
SCOUTING BRADLEY
Bradley has just one win on the season and is currently on a five game losing streak. The Braves earned their only victory when they knocked off the Missouri Tigers, 76-64, in Peoria on Dec. 6. Sophomore transfer Whitney Tinjum is averaging 16.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game in her four games since becoming eligible. She transferred to Bradley from Washington State. Senior Michelle Young is the other Brave averaging double-digit points at 15.3. Head coach Michael Brooks is in his third season at the helm of the program.
HEAD TO HEAD
Sunday's contest will be the 66th meeting in the all-time series between the two teams with Drake holding a commanding 50-15 advantage, including a 21-10 record in Peoria. The Bulldogs have won seven of the last eight contests against the Braves.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
The win over the Ramblers now makes Drake 19-13 all-time in MVC openers with a 11-12 record in road openers. The Bulldogs began their conference slate on the road for the seventh-straight season. In addition, the Bulldogs have now opened MVC play on the road in 11 of the last 12 seasons. The Loyola victory is the first MVC opening win since Drake knocked off its former MVC-rival Creighton to open the 2011-12 campaign.
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 23.5 points per game, which ranks seventh in all of NCAA Division I. She ranks second in the nation amongst all sophomores in points per game as Washington's Kelsey Plum leads all sophomores at 26.6 ppg.
Wendell has scored in double figures in all 12 games this season and dating back to last year has scored 10 or more points in 26 straight games. Wendell has scored 20-plus points in five consecutive games and nine times this year. She has 21 20-plus games in her career
She poured in a career-high 43 points against Iowa on Dec. 21, which is a Drake Knapp Center individual record for a regulation women's basketball game, and is also tied for the 10th-most points scored in a single game in MVC women's basketball history. The 43 points rank tied for seventh most in Drake history.
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 Wendell is posting great numbers across the board. In the conference, she ranks third in three's made per game (2.4), fourth in field goal percentage (51.2), sixth in steals (2.0) and in three-point percentage (38.2), eighth in free throw percentage (73.2), 10th in minutes (31.8) and tied for 12th assists (2.5).
PASS THE ROCK
Ingle has been a catalyst for the Bulldogs' offense in her second season as the point guard is averaging a MVC-leading 6.4 assists per game. Her assists per game mark ranks eighth in the country.
She collected her fourth career points/assists double-double with 17 points and 10 assists against Iowa. The Runnells, Iowa, native is also second on the team and 12th in the MVC in scoring at 11.9 points per game. At 5-8, she averages 4.3 rebounds per game.
PICK POCKET
Ingle is also getting it done on the defensive end for the Bulldogs as she ranks second in the conference in steals per game at 2.9. Ingle has picked up two or more steals in 10 games this season, including nabbing a career-high five in the wins over Fordham and Northwestern. Ingle has collected 58 steals in 44 career games.
NEW FACES
Drake has four newcomers this season in Dean, Greiner and Becca Jonas (Independence, Mo.) along with sophomore Cortni Rush (Mason City, Iowa), a junior college transfer. All four have cracked the playing rotation and are significant contributors. Jonas leads the team in rebounding at 7.4 per game, while Dean is averaging 10.8 points. Jonas averages 11.8 points per game, which is third on the team and 13th in the league. Her 7.4 rebounds per game ranks fifth in the MVC.
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.
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-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
The Bulldogs start MVC home play on Jan. 9 when the Illinois State Redbirds visit at the Knapp Center. Tip-off against the Redbirds is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
YOU WIN THIS TIME
Even with the 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 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.
