NEW ORLEANS – Auburn edged the Drake University women's basketball team, 85-80, in the opening game of the 2016 Tulane Classic on Wednesday, Dec. 21.
Senior
Lizzy Wendell (Blue Springs, Mo.) recorded her 53
rd career 20-plus scoring performance with a team-best 25 points to go along with pulling down a team-high seven rebounds. Joining Wendell in double figures was freshman
Becca Hittner (Urbandale, Iowa) who scored 13 points and senior
Caitlin Ingle (Runnells, Iowa) who added 12 points.
Drake (6-4) led Auburn (9-3) at halftime, 29-23, but the Tigers rallied with a 31-point third-quarter to hold a 54-47 advantage going into the final quarter. Sophomore
Sammie Bachrodt (Wichita, Kan.) scored on a layup to start the fourth-quarter scoring and pull the Bulldogs within five points at 54-49. However, Auburn answered with a 10-0 run and later would lead by as many as 18 points.
The Bulldogs didn't panic as they stormed back and trailed by just three points (83-80) after a pair of free throws by Bachrodt with 22 seconds left in the game. Drake quickly fouled Auburn, who made both free throws. Ingle then missed a layup attempt and the Tigers rebounded the miss as Hittner had to foul. Auburn missed both free throws and Bachrodt rebounded the second miss, but Ingle's three-point attempt was off as the clock ran out on the Bulldogs' comeback attempt.
Auburn took an early lead of 3-0 with a three-pointer just 33 seconds into the game, but was held scoreless for nearly six minutes before another basket. Drake capitalized on the drought to take a 15-9 lead at the end of the first quarter and extended that lead to 29-23 at halftime.
Freshman
Brenni Rose (Shawnee, Kan.) scored nine points while fellow freshman
Mya Mertz (Overland Park, Kan.) finished with a career-high five points. Hittner and Ingle each handed out five assists while Bachrodt nabbed five steals.
Drake shot 52.9 percent from the floor, but committed 24 turnovers that led to 34 points for Auburn. The Bulldogs struggled at the free throw line, hitting 22-of-32 (68.8 percent).
Drake will play Eastern Washington in the consolation game on Thursday at 3 p.m. The game will broadcast on the radio on Praise 940. Thursday will be the first-ever matchup between Drake and EWU.
