DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake University women's basketball team closes its three-game homestand Friday night at the Knapp Center when the Bulldogs host UNI. Tipoff against the Panthers is scheduled for 7 p.m. and is the Missouri Valley Conference's game of the week on ESPN3.
 
Several exciting activities are scheduled for Friday night, including "Stripe the Knapp". Fans can show their Bulldog spirit and wear either BLUE or WHITE depending on where your seats are located in the lower bowl of the Knapp Center. Check out this map for the blue/white seating section assignments. Several ticket specials are available, including the Hy-Vee Fuel Saver 2-for-1, where you show your Hy-Vee Fuel Saver card on game day and receive two tickets for the price of one in the Hy-Vee HotZone (Sections R-T). Visit https://www.draketix.com/promotions for a complete list of specials. Be sure to stay in your seats at halftime for a performance by QuickChange. QuickChange is the No. 1 halftime performance act in the NBA, and they present one of the most astonishing magical acts ever seen on stage.
 
Drake (11-7, 6-0 MVC) and UNI (8-9, 4-2 MVC) resume their rivalry that has seen the teams split the past six games in the series. Last season's three games featured a total of three overtimes as the Bulldogs won all three contests, including a thrilling 74-69 overtime victory in the MVC title game in Moline, Ill. This year in conference play, Drake is the top scoring team at 84.2 points per game while UNI is the league-leader in scoring defense, holding opponents to 54.2 points per game.
 
Drake is coming off a 107-66 win over Evansville. The 107 points were the most points scored against an MVC opponent since the 1996-97 Drake team dropped 106 on Creighton on Jan. 27, 1997. The 107 points scored were the most by a Valley team since 1992 and is tied for the fourth highest single-game total in league history.
 
Over the past four seasons, Drake has ranked in the top 10 every season in the NCAA in assists per game. The Bulldogs are once again sharing the basketball as they entered the week No. 2 in the country averaging 22.8 assists per game narrowly behind No. 1 ranked, UConn (22.9), while leading the nation in total assists with 410. Drake handed out 58 assists on 72 field goals in its last two games. The Bulldogs have five players in the top 15 in the MVC in assists per game while no other team has more than two. 


 
Junior guard Sammie Bachrodt (Wichita, Kan.), a preseason All-MVC selection, has helped share the basketball all season and fill out the scoresheet. Bachrodt ranks second in the MVC in assists per game at 4.1 and leads the league in assists/turnover ratio at 2.5. She nearly recorded a triple-double in the win over Indiana State on Jan. 12 finishing with nine points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Bachrodt is also among the Valley leaders in steals (1.9, 3rd), three-pointers per game (1.8, 6th), field goal percentage (44.3, 7th), scoring (10.9, 13th), three-point percentage (34.7, 13th) and is just outside the leaders in rebounding at 4.2 boards per game.
 
Redshirt senior Kennedy Kirkpatrick leads the Panthers in scoring at 11.1 points per game. Sophomore Megan Maahs is the only player in the MVC averaging a double-double at 10.0 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. Drake and UNI played two of the toughest non-conference schedules in the nation with the Bulldogs' at No. 19 and the Panthers' at No. 30.
 
Following Friday's game, Drake heads to Illinois State Friday, Jan. 26 for a 7 p.m. contest at Redbird Arena.