BROOKINGS, S.D. – The Drake University women's basketball team travels to South Dakota State Tuesday, Dec. 15 for a 6 p.m. game on ESPN3 inside Frost Arena.
 
Drake (2-2) played a home exhibition contest against Northwest Missouri State on Dec. 10 in its lone action last week. The Bulldogs got scoring from 10 of the 11 players who suited up and rolled to an 82-30 victory over the Bearcats, a Division II program.
 
In a tuneup for a couple of challenging road games ahead, Kierra Collier and Maggie Bair led the Drake's balanced scoring with 17 points each. Bair also grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds while Collier shot 8-for-13 from the field with a 3-pointer, handed out two assists and came up with a steal. Grace Berg scored 13 points on 6-for-9 shooting and Monica Burich added 12 points, making 5 of 7 shots.
 
South Dakota State (3-2) has dropped its last two games, both on the road, after winning its first three at home. Two of those victories came against ranked opponents in Iowa State and Gonzaga, and the other versus Creighton, which Drake defeated in its season opener. Redshirt junior Myah Selland is the Jackrabbits' top scorer at 17.0 points per game.
 
Tuesday's game will be the fifth all-time meeting between the two schools in the series that is tied. Drake won last season's game that started the 2019-20 season while South Dakota State took the two prior contests.
 
Following Tuesday's road game, Drake returns to the Knapp Center Saturday, Dec. 19 against Lewis University at 4 p.m.
 
Steady Leader
Monahan made her 100^th consecutive start at Minnesota. The Silver Lake, Minn. native is averaging a career-high 16.0 points, which ranks fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference. She ranks sixth in the Valley in assists per game at 4.3 and has 366 overall. Monahan is vying to crack Drake's all-time career leaders in assists and she can become just the sixth player to have 500 or more in a career. Monahan has scored double digits in eight straight games dating back to last season, and in 11 of the team's past 14 games.
 
From Reserve to Starter
After two seasons coming off the bench, Burich, has started every game this season. The Roseville, Minn. native is in her third season playing for the Bulldogs after transferring from the University of Colorado. Burich is averaging a career-high 8.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, her rebounding total ranks 11^th in the league.
 
From Deep
In addition to her league-leading 6.8 assists per game that ranks among the national leaders, Collier is knocking down three-pointers at a steady clip leading the conference in three-point shooting at 53.8 percent. She has made a team-leading 14 this season, including a career-best seven against the Iowa. The seven threes are tied for the most in single game history. Collier, who has made two or more in all four games, is averaging a career-best 17.8 points per game, which ranks third in the MVC. She scored 26 and 24 points, respectively, against Iowa and Minnesota for her first-ever back-to-back 20-plus games.
 
Immediate Impact
Berg has provided an immediate impact in her first season of action. The Indianola native and transfer from Missouri, ranks second in the Valley in scoring at 18.0 points. She has scored in double figures in all four games, including two 20-plus performances, helping her win the MVC's first two newcomer of the week awards.
 
Stepping Up
The Bulldogs' reserves from last season have stepped up in 2020-21. Senior Hannah Fuller started the first two games of the season and provided energy across the board. However, she has missed the past two games due to injury. In her place, junior Allie Wooldridge, earned her first career starts against Iowa and Minnesota, respectively. Wooldridge battled foul trouble against Iowa but had five rebounds and four assists. Against the Gophers, she had 10 points, including making career-high six free throws to go with four rebounds and four assists in just 22 minutes. Junior Maggie Negaard averaged 16.0 minutes and 5.5 points per game against Iowa and Minnesota. Down low, sophomore Maggie Bair and redshirt senior Mya Mertz, have contributed off the bench. Bair knocked down a career-high two three-pointers and had eight points against Iowa. She followed that game with a career-high seven rebounds and two blocks while providing strong defense against the Gophers. Mertz made her season debut against Iowa and played seven minutes. Against Minnesota, she played five minutes and made her first-career three pointer and added two rebounds.
 
Newcomers
Along with Berg, Drake has two other newcomers in freshman Courtney Becker and redshirt freshman Taylor McAulay. Becker, a native of Fountain City, Wis., made her debut at Green Bay, scoring five points and grabbing eight rebounds. She played significant minutes against Iowa and Minnesota, and is averaging 4.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game in her first season. McAulay from Lino Lakes, Minn., played in just four games last season before being sidelined due to injury. This season, she scored four points and had six rebounds at Minnesota and has played in every game.