DES MOINES, Iowa – For the second-straight season, the Drake University women's basketball team closes its non-conference slate against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Drake (8-3) and No. 16/15 Iowa (8-2) will meet Friday night at 6 p.m. in the Knapp Center and it will be broadcast locally on Mediacom MC22 and ESPN+. The in-state showdown is a "White Out" game hosted by Bankers Trust. Fans are encouraged to wear white inside the Knapp Center and "White Out" rally towels will be handed out. Limited tickets remain for Friday night, $10 adults and $5 kids, call 515-271-DOGS (3647) or visit https://www.draketix.com/wbb.
 
The Bulldogs are coming off a close 86-81 loss at Iowa State Sunday afternoon. Drake erased an 11-point deficit with 3:24 left in the game and tied the contest at 79-all with 1:24 remaining. However, the Cyclones closed on a 5-2 run for the win in the hard-fought in-state battle. The home team has won the last four meetings between the teams. Three Bulldogs scored 20 or more points, led by Sara Rhine (Eldon, Mo.), who scored 22 points and nearly recorded her fifth double-double with nine rebounds. Maddy Dean (Jordan, Minn.) matched a career-high with five three-pointers and had a season-best 21 points. Becca Hittner (Urbandale, Iowa) rounded out the trio with 20 points. As a team, the Bulldogs handed out 24 assists on 29 field goals, and five players, led by sophomore Maddie Monahan (Silver Lake, Minn.), with team-high six, had three or more.
 
Rhine, the top scorer in the Missouri Valley Conference at 18.6 points, has scored 22 points in each of the past three games, all in December. She has done so behind blistering shooting, making 27-of-35 field goal attempts (77.1 percent). Even more impressive is Rhine is shooting 83.3 percent inside the three-point line, hitting on 25 of her 30 two-point field-goal attempts. Rhine, who led the MVC in shooting last season at 59.1 percent, leads the Valley this year at 59.0 percent. She has scored double figures in all 11 games this season.
 
Iowa is coming off an in-state matchup with UNI, defeating the Panthers 83-57 Sunday at home. The Hawkeyes were led by senior Megan Gustafson, the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year, who posted her NCAA leading ninth double-double with 28 points and 12 boards. Gustafson was named Big Ten Player of the Week for the fifth time already this season and 15h in her career for her performance.
 
Friday's game will be the 51^st meeting between Drake and Iowa with the series tied at 25-25 after the two split the past two seasons. The series began in 1974 with Drake edging Iowa, 78-65. The Bulldogs and Hawkeyes rank No. 2 and No. 3 in the nation, respectively, in assists per game at 22.3 and 22.2. Drake leads the nation in total assists, dishing out 245 while the Hawkeyes sit second with 222. Monahan ranks second in the league in assists at 4.5 per game with five Bulldogs in the top 15 in the category.
 
Following Friday's game, Drake will enjoy a break over the holidays before MVC play begins at Bradley on Jan. 4.