DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake women's basketball team concluded the preseason WNIT with a dominant 96-68 victory over Liberty on Friday night at the Knapp Center.
 
The Bulldogs were led by the hot-hands of junior Sammie Bachrodt (Wichita, Kan.) who recorded a game-high 18 points as well as tying a career-high with six steals. Bachrodt shot an impressive 5-of-7 (71.4 percent) including going 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. Sophomore Becca Hittner (Urbandale, Iowa) put up 15 points and the pair were joined in double digits by three other Bulldogs.
 
Junior Nicole Miller (Walker, Iowa) added 11 points while redshirt sophomore Sara Rhine (Eldon, Mo.) and sophomore Brenni Rose (Shawnee, Kan.) both scored 10. Senior Paige Greiner (Williamsburg, Iowa) just missed double-digits with nine points going a perfect 3-of-3 from three-point range. Redshirt junior Maddy Dean (Jordan, Minn.) chipped in eight points.
 
Drake (2-1) shot an impressive 31-of-58 (53.4 percent) from the floor including going 41.2 percent (14-of-34) from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs recorded an impressive 13 steals while forcing 18 turnovers by Liberty. The Bulldogs' win extended their active home winning streak to 20 games, the fourth-best streak in the country.
 
In her first start as a Bulldog, freshman Maddie Monahan (Silver Lake, Minn.) recorded a career-high seven assists while redshirt junior Becca Jonas (Independence, Mo.) tied for a game-high six rebounds.
 
Liberty (1-2) wasted no time opening the first quarter with a quick layup before Bachrodt hit back-to-back threes sandwiched around a jumper by Hittner helping Drake get out to an 8-4 advantage as they would never relinquish the lead. Drake went on a 10-4 run before ending the first quarter with a 28-18 lead. The Bulldogs scoring prowess continued in the second quarter lengthening a 16-2 run from the first. Drake didn't let up taking a 54-30 lead into halftime after shooting 10-of-19 including a 45.5% (5-of-11) performance from beyond the arc.
 
Despite being cooled in the third quarter to shooting only 4-of-13 from the floor, the Drake offense came out hot again in the fourth making 9-of-12 from the floor with five three-pointers.
 
Liberty was led by KK Barbour with 16 points while Keyen Green added 14 points. Kierra Johnson-Green added six rebounds for the Flames.
 
The Bulldogs will hit the road for three consecutive games. Up first for the Bulldogs is a trip to Laramie, Wyo. to play Wyoming on Nov. 21. Drake closes the week with two games at the Rocky Mountain Classic hosted by Colorado, Nov. 24-25. The Bulldogs return to the Knapp Center on Nov. 30 to host Iowa State.