MOLINE, Ill. – The No. 2 seed Drake University women's basketball team defeated No. 7 Valparaiso, 71-60, on Friday night at the TaxSlayer Center to advance to the semifinals of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. The Bulldogs (16-10, 13-5 MVC) will meet the winner of No. 3 Illinois State and No. 6 Loyola on Saturday.
Kierra Collier and
Grace Berg each notched 13 points to lead Drake.
Maggie Negaard provided a spark off the bench, recording 12 points as the Bulldogs developed a 30-2 advantage in bench scoring. All 11 Bulldogs to see action scored at least two points.
Valpo began the game 7-of-8 from the field to take an early 17-9 lead, but the Bulldogs held Valpo scoreless for 2:58 to earn a 7-0 run and climb back to within five after the first quarter.
Drake's defensive domination continued in the second quarter as the Bulldogs buckled down to prevent Valpo from scoring for 7:23. Drake reeled off 11 consecutive points to gain a 29-26 upper hand.
After shooting 9-of-11 (81.8 percent) in the first quarter, Valpo was limited to just 3-of-17 (17.6 percent) in the second frame.
The Bulldogs allowed an 8-0 run to begin the third quarter but responded with a 9-0 burst of their own later in the period. Negaard beat the buzzer with a runner to put Drake ahead 48-45 going into the final frame.
Valpo clawed to within two midway through the fourth quarter, but once again Drake showed its mettle with a timely 9-0 run to take a 66-55 advantage with 3:23 to play – its largest lead of the night. Collier was key in creating good looks, generating three of her game-best six assists during this stretch.
Fresh off earning the MVC Sixth Player of the Year Award,
Maggie Bair hauled in a game-high 11 boards to mark her ninth double-digit rebound game of the season. Drake outrebounded Valpo, 40-25, on the night.
The Bulldogs advance to the MVC Tournament semifinals where they will square off against the winner of Friday night's contest between No. 3 Illinois State and No. 6 Loyola. Tipoff at the TaxSlayer Center is slated for 4 p.m. on Saturday and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.
