SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Drake University women's basketball team is set to begin 2017 with a New Year's Day matinee at Missouri State on Sunday. Tipoff with the Lady Bears is scheduled for 2 p.m. and the game will be shown online via The Valley on ESPN3. The radio broadcast will be on Praise 940.
 
Drake closed 2016 with an 83-78 win over Wichita State Friday night in the Missouri Valley Conference opener for both teams. The Bulldogs improved to 8-4 and 1-0 in the MVC with the road victory in Wichita, Kan.
 
Senior Lizzy Wendell (Blue Springs, Mo.) scored 32 points on 13-of-18 shooting along with pulling down five rebounds, nabbing three steals and handing out two assists. Wendell's big game was the second-most points for her this season and the 10^th career 30-plus scoring performance for the MVC Preseason Player of the Year.
 
Sophomore Sammie Bachrodt (Wichita, Kan.) added 14 points playing in her hometown and in front of a large group of family and friends. Senior Caitlin Ingle (Runnells, Iowa) had 12 points and eight assists and freshman Becca Hittner (Urbandale, Iowa) finished with 10 points for Drake, who never trailed in the contest.
 
The Bulldogs went on a 9-2 scoring run over the Shockers to open the final quarter with six points coming from Wendell to take an 11-point lead at 74-63, its largest lead of the game, with 7:59 left on the clock. However, Wichita State twice trimmed Drake's lead to six points, until Ingle and Wendell each made layups to put the Bulldogs' advantage to 10 points at 83-73 with 1:30 left in the game. The Shockers scored five-straight points to cut the deficit in half, but Bachrodt secured a steal at the buzzer to seal the win.
 
Missouri State owns a 4-8 overall record and is 0-1 in the MVC after UNI edged the Lady Bears, 61-54, Friday night. Junior Liza Fruendt is averaging 14.3 points per game. Drake and Missouri State have one of the closest head-to-head series in the conference. MSU holds a slight edge over Drake, 41-39, and won the last meeting in the 2016 MVC Tournament semifinals as the Lady Bears went on to win the tournament. Drake won both regular season games.
 
Following Sunday's game, Drake returns home to the Knapp Center to host Evansville on Jan. 6 at 7 p.m.