DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake University women's basketball team (16-7, 11-1 MVC) will host the Evansville Purple Aces (11-13, 6-7 MVC) at the Knapp Center this Friday, Feb. 20 at 7:07 p.m.
The game will be broadcast online on www.ESPN3.com with Scott Warmann and Jill Hutchinson on the call. Ric Silvestrini and Laura Leonard will call the action on 1350 KRNT while live stats will be available at www.GoDrakeBulldogs.com. To order tickets call the Drake Ticket Office at 515-271-3647 or visit www.GoDrakeBulldogs.com.
REWIND
Drake pulled away in the second half to defeat UNI, 87-67, with the support of 3,418 fans at the program's “Pack the Knapp Pink Game” last Friday at the Knapp Center. It was the second-highest crowd of the season for Drake behind the annual “Pack the Knapp Game” against Northwestern College on Dec. 18.
Drake sophomore Lizzy Wendell (Blue Springs, Mo.) contributed 30 points and has recorded double figures in 37 straight games. Her outstanding performance against UNI is her league-best fifth game of scoring 30 or more points this season. She added four rebounds, four assists, two blocks and one steal.
Freshman Maddy Dean (Jordan, Minn.) had her second consecutive double-double, scoring 23 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. She has recorded double figures in eight straight games, dating back to the first game against UNI on Jan. 16. Freshman Becca Jonas (Independence, Mo.) chipped in 10 points and seven rebounds.
The win was the first in the previous four games in the series to be decided by more than four points. A combined eight points had decided the previous three games.
SCOUTING EVANSVILLE
Evansville snapped a six-game losing streak with its win over Illinois State on Sunday at the Ford Center. Sophomore Sara Dickey led the Purple Aces with 27 points while senior Mallory Laddy, who had missed the previous seven games, scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds in her return. Evansville is the top three-point shooting team in the conference at 35.2 percent.
HEAD TO HEAD
Drake owns a 34-13 advantage in the all-time series, including taking seven of the previous 10 contests. The Bulldogs claimed the first game this season at Evansville, 79-62, and have won the previous three games in the series after Evansville had won three straight. Drake and Evansville first played in 1995, the first season the Purple Aces were members of the MVC, and the teams have played at least twice annually since 1995.
RUN AND GUN CONTINUES
Drake has tallied 70 or more points in 15 out of the last 16 games, failing to do so only against Wichita State, who entered the matchup of the league's top two teams as the nation's number two scoring defense allowing just 49.5 points.
On the season, the Bulldogs lead the MVC in scoring at 77.5 with SIU next at 67.4. Drake's scoring mark ranks 16th in the nation.
Great shooting and unselfish play has propelled the Bulldogs to their outstanding scoring clip. The team leads the MVC and ranks 13th nationally with a 45.6 percent field goal percentage while also leading the league in team assists at 17.7 per game. The team assists mark ranks 10th in the nation.
PACK THE KNAPP
Drake is drawing a league-leading 2,796 fans per game to the Knapp Center this season. The Bulldogs currently rank 42nd in the nation in average attendance. 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 continues to have an impressive second season for the Blue and the White. She leads the league and ranks fifth in the nation in scoring at 23.3 points per game.
Wendell made history in Drake's win over Wichita State on Feb. 1 as her 17 points pushed her past 1,000 career points. She is the 27th women's basketball player in school history to reach 1,000 career points and needed just 52 career games to tally 1,000. She is just the fourth Drake player to accomplish the feat as a sophomore. The last Bulldog to reach 1,000 career points as a sophomore was the school's all-time leading scorer, Lorri Bauman, in 1982.
Wendell has scored in double figures in all 23 games this season. Dating back to last year she has scored 10 or more points in 37 straight games. This season she leads the league with 16 20-plus scoring games and has 28 20-plus games in her career. She also leads the MVC with five 30-plus scoring games.
Her two 43-point games this season are tied for 10th in most points scored in a single game in MVC and seventh in Drake women's basketball history. She is the only player in the NCAA this year to score 40 or more points in two games.
Her 43-point performances 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 (50.0) and three's made per game (2.3), t-4th in steals (2.1) and free throw percentage (77.8), fifth in three-point percentage (37.3), seventh in assists (2.6), and 18th in rebounding (5.0). What is even more impressive is that Wendell is posting these outstanding numbers while averaging only 32.9 minutes per game, which ranks seventh in minutes played in The Valley.
FLOOR LEADER
Caitlin Ingle (Runnells, Iowa) has been a catalyst for the Bulldogs' offense in her second season as she leads the league and ranks eighth in the nation in assists per game at 7.1. Ingle notched the MVC's first triple-double since 2009, recording 14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, in the win over Missouri State on Jan. 30. The Valley has only seen 12 triple-doubles since the league began in 1992-93. Ingle is the first Bulldog to record a triple-double in MVC history. On Feb. 6, Ingle was named to the watch list for the prestigious Nancy Lieberman award, which honors the top point guard in the nation.
Ingle has seven career points/assists double-doubles and one points/rebounds double-double She has recorded eight or more assists in a game eight times this season. She has twice handed out a career-high 15 assists in a game, first against Bradley on Jan. 4 and again at SIU on Feb. 6. The 15 assists are tied for the third most in a game in school history.
PICK POCKETS
Ingle and Wendell are also getting it done on the defensive end for the Bulldogs as they are each tied for fourth in steals per game at 2.1 in the league. Ingle has picked up two or more steals in 12 games this season, including nabbing a career-high five in the wins over Fordham and Northwestern College. Wendell has nabbed 103 steals in her career while Ingle has collected 74.
SENIOR SPARKS
Three seniors have helped fuel the team's hot streak during MVC action with big games in several of the wins. Carly Grenfell (York, Neb.) went for a season-high 14 points in the win over SIU on Jan. 11 and is averaging 6.1 points per league game. Liza Leap (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) has started every MVC game and had a season-best seven points along with five rebounds in Friday night's win over UNI. Cara Lutes (Maplewood, Minn.) has provided a low-post spark off the bench and recorded her first career double-doubles with 10 points and 10 boards in the win at Illinois State on Feb. 8. Combined, the three have appeared in 332 games in their careers.
NEW FACES
Drake has four newcomers this season in Dean, Greiner and Jonas along with sophomore Cortni Rush (Mason City, Iowa), a junior college transfer.
Jonas is second in the conference in rebounding average at 8.5 while Dean is fifth at 7.1. Dean leads all league freshmen in scoring at 13.4 points per game with Jonas behind her at 11.9 points. They are the only two freshmen to rank in the top-20 in the MVC in both scoring and rebounding. Jonas is fifth in the league in field goal percentage at 49.8 percent while Dean is second in free throw shooting at 80.7 percent. Jonas has started every game this season while Dean has started every MVC game.
Rush started 10 of the first 11 games before being sidelined with a foot injury. She returned to the court against UNI on Feb. 13. Greiner has provided long distance shooting off the bench as the Williamsburg, Iowa, native not only hit four key three-pointers in the Wichita State win but knocked down deep three-pointers to beat the buzzer before halftime in the Wisconsin and Idaho State wins. She leads The Valley in three-point shooting at 50.0 percent (23-of-46).
ALMOST MATCHED
Drake's loss at Southern Illinois left the Bulldogs one win shy of the best league start in school history as the 1998 team opened its MVC campaign 10-0. With its win over Missouri State to close January, this year's team tied the 1998 team for most wins in a month with eight. The 1998 team earned eight victories in the month of February. The Bulldogs' nine-game winning streak this season was the program's longest winning streak since the 2001-02 squad had 11 consecutive victories.
MVC AWARDS
Wendell has collected four MVC Player of the Week honors this season, while Jonas and Dean have collected four and three MVC Newcomer of the Week honors, respectively.
UP NEXT
Drake closes the weekend with a matchup against the Indiana State Sycamores on Sunday, Feb. 22 at 4:05 p.m. The Drake men's basketball team plays Missouri State at 1:05 p.m. and fans that have tickets for the men's game can stay for free for the women's game.
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 an 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.
On Feb. 10, Clark was announced as one of 20 student-athletes selected to the 2015 Allstate WBCA and NABC Good Works Teams. The prestigious award pays tribute to college basketball players at all levels for their impressive commitment to giving back to their communities and positively impacting the lives of those around them. Clark is the first Drake student-athlete and MVC basketball student-athlete to be named to the Allstate WBCA and NABC Good Works Team.
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, 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 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 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 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.
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 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 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. She is a three-time state champion in the high jump, and is the Missouri Class 3 State high jump record holder.
