TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Drake University women's basketball team closes the month of January with a pair of Missouri Valley Conference road games in Indiana this weekend. Drake (13-4, 5-0 MVC) starts the trip at Indiana State (9-8, 3-3 MVC) Friday evening at 6 p.m. CST before it visits Evansville (2-15, 0-6 MVC) Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. Both games will be streamed on ESPN3.
 
The Bulldogs won their fifth consecutive game behind a convincing fourth-quarter in an 88-64 road win over UNI. In the final period, Drake made 12-of-14 shots as seven different Bulldogs scored while the defense held the Panthers to 10 points and forced five turnovers. Overall, Sara Rhine (Eldon, Mo.) scored a season-high 26 points while Becca Hittner (Urbandale, Iowa) dropped in 19 points for the second-straight game. Off the bench, Monica Burich (Roseville, Minn.) and Nicole Miller (Walker, Iowa) each had nine points. Burich pulled down a career-high nine rebounds.
 
The Sycamores limit opponents to 62.4 points per game, which is the second lowest total in the league. Junior Ashli O'Neal is the team's leading scorer at 15.2 points. Drake has won the past four meetings in the series and owns a 55-23 advantage all-time.
 
Evansville hosts UNI Friday as it tries for its first conference win. Senior Kerri Gasper, who averages a team-high 11.6 points, recently joined the 1,000 point in the team's close loss at Loyola. The Bulldogs have won seven-straight over the Purple Aces, and leads the series 42-14.
 
Following Sunday's game, Drake hosts Missouri State Feb. 1 at 6 p.m. inside the Knapp Center.