The Allison Pohlman era in Drake University women's basketball got off to a sizzling start.
 
Freshman Katie Dinnebier hit a 3-pointer with 3 seconds left to lift the Bulldogs to an 82-79 season-opening victory over Creighton at the Knapp Center on Wednesday night.
 
Drake built a 17-point lead with some sharp shooting and passing, then had to hold off a Creighton comeback before Dinnebier connected from the left wing to give Pohlman the victory in her debut. Named the to the position in April after 14 years as an assistant with the Bulldogs, Pohlman became just the second Drake coach to win in her first game.
 
The other was Carole Baumgarten, who guided the Bulldogs to a victory over Iowa in Drake's very first women's basketball game in 1974.
 
Dinnebier, who was Miss Iowa Basketball at Waukee High School last season, shared the spotlight with another freshman, 6-foot-3 center Anna Miller. Miller scored 15 first-half points on 7-for-11 shooting and finished with a team-best 17 points plus five rebounds and a block.
 
Maggie Bair had 12 points and seven rebounds for the Bulldogs, Grace Berg scored 11 and grabbed eight rebounds and sophomore Courtney Becker just missed her first double-double, putting up 11 points and nine rebounds.
 
Dinnebier finished with nine points, all in the second half. Maggie Petersen also scored nine, including a huge 3-pointer to help protect the lead late in the game. Senior Allie Wooldridge handed out a career-high eight assists, including the pass to Dinnebier for the game-winner.
 
For the longest time, it looked as if the Bulldogs would win handily. They made 13 of 19 shots, most of them layups, in bolting to a 28-19 lead after one quarter, ran off 10 straight points to open a double-digit lead in the second quarter and led 49-32 after Megan Meyer, who transferred from the University of Iowa, hit a 3-pointer in the first minute of the third quarter.
 
The Bulldogs led by 16 before Creighton hit four 3-pointers in a 14-0 run that sliced the lead to 62-60 and they had to fight off the Bluejays the rest of the way. Creighton drew to a tie at 74 and then again at 79-all when Morgan Maly hit her fifth 3-pointer of the game with 27 seconds left.
 
Drake held for a final shot, Wooldridge got the ball to Dinnebier and the freshman delivered, giving Drake its sixth straight victory in a season opener. The Bulldogs shot 49 percent for the game and had assists on 22 of their 32 baskets.
 
Maly finished 5-for-9 from long range and led Creighton with 15 points.
 
The Bulldogs return action at 6 p.m. Monday against South Dakota at the Knapp Center.
 

GAME NOTES

• ​​ Allison Pohlmann becomes just the second coach in Drake's storied women's basketball history (seven head coaches) to win her coaching debut at the school, joining Carole Baumgarten whose Drake team beat Iowa, 78-65, in the first game ever played by a Drake women's basketball team Nov. 20, 1974 in Des Moines.
• Drake improved its record in season openers to 36-12 while winning its sixth straight season opener.
• The Bulldogs moved its record to 31-17 in home openers
• Drake hit 49.2 percent from the floor, making 32 of 65 shots.
• Drake outrebounded Creighton, 43-37.
• Drake collected 22 assists, including 10 assists leading to 13 baskets in the first quarter. The Bulldogs collected 20 or more assists in 15 games last season including 24 in the 2020-21 season opening win at Creighton.
• The first quarter had eerily parallels to the 2020 season opener between these rivals. Drake owned a 28-19 first quarter lead, shooting 68.4 percent (13-19) almost equaling its first quarter lead of 29-17 in its 2020 season opener at Creighton when the Bulldogs hit a sizzling 75 percent from the floor (12-16).

   
INDIVIDUAL NOTES

• Freshman center Anna Miller came off the bench to score 17 points in her college debut, including 15 in the first half.
• Junior forward Maggie Bair collected 12 points and sevens rebounds, while junior forward Grace Berg chipped in with 11 points and eight rebounds.
• Sophomore forward Courtney Becker added 11 points along with a career-high nine rebounds
• Senior Allie Wooldridge had a career-high eight assists including a pass to freshman guard Katie Dinnebier for the game-winning basket with two seconds left.

         
SERIES NOTES

• Drake, winning its fourth straight game against the Bluejays, improved its series record against Creighton to 43-27.