MOLINE, Ill. – The top-seeded Drake University women's basketball team easily defeated Valparaiso, 89-40, in the quarterfinals of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Friday afternoon at the TaxSlayer Center.
A 19-0 run in the first quarter allowed the Bulldogs to take a commanding lead and cruise to the 49-point victory, their largest of the season.
Drake (24-7) held the Crusaders to 22.6 percent shooting with just eight made field goals in the first three quarters to prevent the Crusaders from ever challenging Drake's stranglehold on the game.
Drake's 89 points came in part from four Bulldogs in double-figures with
Maddy Dean (Jordan, Minn.) and
Sara Rhine (Eldon, Mo.) each scoring 19 points off the bench while the newly minted Jackie Stiles MVC Player of the Year
Becca Hittner (Urbandale, Iowa) chipped in 18 points. Eleven of Hittner's points came on an 11-of-11 showing on the free-throw line on an afternoon when the Bulldogs converted on 81.3 percent (26 makes) of their 32 free-throw attempts.
Becca Jonas (Independence, Mo.) had 11 rebounds to help the Bulldogs build up a 21-rebound advantage with a staggering 20 offensive rebounds. Jonas and
Brenni Rose (Shawnee, Kan.) accounted for nine of those offensive boards. Rose nearly recorded a double-double with 15 points and eight rebounds.
Sammie Bachrodt (Wichita, Kan.) just missed double figures with nine points.
Two minutes into the first quarter, a Dani Franklin three-pointer put Valparaiso (13-18) within a point at 4-3, but the Crusaders missed their next 12 shots and were held scoreless for nearly eight minutes as the Bulldogs scored 19-straight points with six different players scoring during that span to help Drake take a 23-6 lead in the first 10 minutes of the contest.
The Bulldogs did not relent with the big lead, taking a 46-18 lead into halftime as Valpo closed the first half shooting 5-of-32. Drake held Valpo to just six points in the third quarter and ended the period on a 10-0 run to take an insurmountable 70-24 lead into the fourth quarter. The Crusaders shot 42.9 percent in the final period after the contest had already been more than decided to account for the final 49-point margin.
The Bulldogs advance to face the winner of the Indiana State and Southern Illinois game in the semifinals of the tournament Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in the TaxSlayer Center.
