WICHITA, Kan. – In a matchup of the co-Missouri Valley Conference leaders, the Drake University women's basketball team lost to the Wichita State Shockers, 80-59, Friday night at Koch Arena.
Drake (18-8, 13-2 MVC) was led by freshman Maddy Dean (Jordan, Minn.) with 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting. Sophomore Lizzy Wendell (Blue Springs, Mo.) added 11 points, five rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal in 34 minutes. Freshman Becca Jonas (Independence, Mo.) recorded her eighth career double-double with 10 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
Wichita State (23-4, 14-1 MVC) was paced by senior Alex Harden's 23 points. Jamilah Bonner had 16 points while Kelsey Jacobs and Michaela Dapprich each added 10 points.
Drake raced to a 7-2 advantage two and a half minutes in to the game as Dean nailed a three and Caitlin Ingle (Runnells, Iowa) and Wendell each knocked down a pair of free throws. Wichita State quickly called timeout. Out of the timeout, the Shockers answered with a 9-4 run to claim their first lead, 12-11, at the 13:27 mark.
It was back-and-forth after as Wichita State would come back to take a five-point lead at 20-15. But, Drake answered with a 6-0 scoring run to take the lead back at 21-20 with 8:17 remaining in the half. Later Drake would lead 25-24 after another pair of free throws from Wendell.
However, it would be the final time the Bulldogs held the lead in the game as miscues with ball security caught up with them as the Shockers used a 9-0 scoring run to take a 33-25 advantage with just under four minutes remaining in the half. Wichita State stretched its lead to 39-27 at halftime.
Drake committed 14 turnovers in the opening half that led to 18 points by Wichita State. For the game, Drake had 22, which led 27 points for Wichita State. The Bulldogs drilled all six of their free throw attempts in the first half, and went 17-of-21 (81 percent) for the game.
Wendell scored 10 points in the half to extend her streak to 40 consecutive games of double figures. Dean chipped in nine points on 4-of-6 shooting.
In the second half the Bulldogs used an 11-3 scoring run, capped by a three-point play, to pull within 15 points of the Shockers at 60-45. Drake couldn't get any closer as Wichita State would lead by as many as 23 points on its way to the victory.
The Shockers' win Friday night split the season series as Drake won the first meeting, 64-61, in Des Moines on Feb. 1. The win also gives Wichita State sole possession of first place while Drake sits in second place with three regular season games remaining for each team.
Drake returns to the court on Sunday (March 1) as it visits Missouri State. Tip-off with the Lady Bears is set for 2:05 p.m. and will be shown online on ESPN3.com.
