DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake University women's basketball team hosts Northwest Missouri State Thursday night for at 6 p.m. tipoff on ESPN3 and the game can be heard on 1350 ESPN Des Moines.
 
Drake (2-2) returns to the Knapp Center after routing Minnesota, 99-66, Sunday at Williams Arena. The Bulldogs led from start to finish against the Gophers to snap a two-game losing streak
 
Drake was led by Kierra Collier's 24 game-high points. Collier added six assists and knocked down three three-pointers. It's the second-straight 20-plus game for her after 25 points, a career-high 10 assists and a career-best seven three pointers in the team's last game against Iowa. The Bulldogs played back-to-back Big Ten opponents for the first time since 2002.
 
All five Bulldog starters scored in double figures in Minneapolis, including a pair of Minnesotans as Roseville, Minn. native, Monica Burich, had 13 points, six rebounds and four assists. Silver Lake, Minn. native, Maddie Monahan, scored 12 points and handed out six assists. Grace Berg chipped in 12 points while Allie Wooldridge rounded out the group with 10 points and added four assists. Wooldridge made a career-best six free throws.
 
The Bulldogs led by as many as 42 points early in the fourth quarter as several of their reserves played extended minutes. The team scored the most points ever in the series against Minnesota to earn first win over the Gophers since 1988.
 
Drake recorded 26 assists on 32 field goals, including four of its starters having four or more as Collier and Monahan each had six. The Bulldogs rank second in the nation in assists with 92 while Collier is third in the country with 27 assists.
 
Northwest Missouri State (2-2) is Division II member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. The Bearcats have split four conference games with another exhibition at Kansas City in between. Northwest Missouri State has four players averaging double-digits in scoring. Freshman Molly Hartnett averages a team-high 15.8 ppg while senior Jaelyn Haggard averages 12.3 ppg. Senior Kylie Coleman and redshirt freshman Emma Atwood each average 10.3 ppg.
 
Following Thursday's game, Drake travels to No. 22 South Dakota State on Dec. 15 for a 6 p.m. game.
 
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 fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference. She ranks fourth 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 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. 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 second in the MVC behind Berg. She scored 26 and 24 points, respectively, against Iowa and Minnesota for 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, is leading the league 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.