MOLINE, Ill. – The No. 21/21 Drake University women's basketball team lost to Missouri State, 94-79, Sunday afternoon in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship game at the TaxSlayer Center.
Drake (27-6), which had its 12-game winning streak stopped in its third-straight MVC championship game appearance, had four players finish in double-figures led by
Sammie Bachrodt (Wichita, Kan.) who had 18 points and added seven assists, four steals and three rebounds.
Becca Hittner (Urbandale, Iowa) scored 16 points while
Sara Rhine (Eldon, Mo.) finished with 14 points. Off the bench,
Monica Burich (Urbandale, Iowa) provided 11 points and six rebounds. Bachrodt and Hittner earned MVC All-Tournament honors.
Missouri State (23-9) also had four finish in double figures, led by Alexa Willard, who scored a game-high 30 points and was named the MVP of the tournament. The victory earned the Lady Bears the Valley's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
Drake started the game on fire with its first 15 points coming from three-pointers, including four by Bachrodt, to lead 15-8 with 6:28 left in the opening quarter. Missouri State led for the first time after Sydney Manning's layup with 31 seconds to go. But Hittner drilled a three-pointer with three seconds that gave the Bulldogs a one-point (22-21) lead going to the second period.
However, it would be Drake's final lead as it would have to play from behind the rest of the game. The Lady Bears scored the first five points of the second and led by five, but the Bulldogs twice were able to cut their deficit to one. The last time courtesy of
Hannah Fuller's (West Des Moines, Iowa) clutch three-pointer with 1:10 left in the period. Missouri State though scored six-straight to lead by seven at halftime, 42-35. In the second quarter, Drake turned the ball over eight times that led to 10 points, that helped the Lady Bears turn the game in their favor.
Out of halftime, the teams traded baskets, but the Bulldogs again struggled with turnovers as nine led to another 10 points for Missouri State. The points off turnovers and five three-pointers helped MSU lead 68-47 going to the fourth quarter.
Drake, the defending back-to-back tournament champions, didn't give up. The resilient Bulldogs fought back to within striking distance. Twice, Drake cut the margin to nine points, but each time MSU answered with a basket or free throws. The Bulldogs made 13-of-14 free throws in the quarter, but the Lady Bears answered with 17 of their own as Drake tried to extend the game.
Despite committing 24 turnovers, Drake nearly equaled scored its season average of 80.7 points. Missouri State scored 25 points off the Bulldogs' turnovers. The Bulldogs finished at 42.9 percent (24-of-56) from the floor, made 14-of-30 (46.7 percent) from beyond the arc and 17-of-18 (94.4 percent) from the free throw line.
Drake will wait to hear its name called Monday night during the 2019 NCAA Tournament selection show to learn their NCAA opponent and location. The selection show will be broadcast on ESPN, starting at 6 p.m.
