NEW ORLEANS – After its win over Iowa at the Knapp Center this past Sunday, the Drake University women's basketball team is set to open the 2016 Tulane Classic against Auburn on Wednesday, Dec. 21 in New Orleans. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. with the neutral site contest broadcast on the radio via 1350 ESPN Des Moines.
Drake defeated Iowa, 81-76, in front of a crowd of 3,307 fans on a bone-chilling cold day in Des Moines. The fans who braved the elements witnessed Drake (6-3) snap a 14-game losing streak in the in-state series with Iowa. Prior to Sunday, the Bulldogs' last victory over the Hawkeyes was Nov. 25, 2001 in a 75-72 decision that went to overtime in Iowa City.
Four Bulldogs, led by senior
Caitlin Ingle (Runnells, Iowa) with a team-high 20 points, finished in double figures in this year's victory. Senior
Lizzy Wendell (Blue Springs, Mo.) added 15 points while freshman
Becca Hittner (Urbandale, Iowa) recorded her first career double-double with 14 points and a career-best 10 rebounds. Redshirt sophomore
Becca Jonas (Independence, Mo.) rounded out the group with 12 points and added five rebounds and two steals.
Ingle's scoring performance matched her season-high in a game this year (Creighton, Nov. 17), and she handed out seven assists and snagged three rebounds. She and Hittner were recognized by the Missouri Valley Conference for their outstanding performances on Monday as they were the named the MVC Player and Newcomer of the Week, respectively. The honors are the first in each player's career.
Auburn (8-3) travels to New Orleans coming off a 92-87 defeat to No. 23/24 Virginia Tech Sunday evening. The Tigers' three losses this season have been by a combined 14 points. Seniors Brandy Montgomery and Katie Frerking average 16.2 and 15.7 points per game while Frerking leads the team in rebounding at 8.1 per game.
Drake and Auburn have met just once and it was all the way back on Jan. 4, 1981 in a tournament hosted by Miami University that the Tigers eked out a 77-76 win.
Following Wednesday's game, Drake will play either the tournament hosts, Tulane, or Eastern Washington on Thursday. Tipoff will be either 3 or 5 p.m.
