MOLINE, Ill. – The shorthanded Drake University women's basketball team fell to Bradley, 78-70, in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Championship Game on Sunday night at the TaxSlayer Center.
 
Four Bulldog players and three coaches, including head coach Jennie Baranczyk, missed the title game due to COVID-19 protocols. Eight Bulldogs suited up Sunday and assistant coach Markisha Wright filled in as acting head coach.
 
Drake (16-11) began the game imposing its will inside, recording all of its points in the paint as it claimed an early 8-2 lead. Bradley (17-11) responded with a 10-2 run, and Gabi Haack posted a personal 9-0 run with three 3-pointers in a 1:29 span as the Braves led 23-18 after the first quarter.
 
Drake honed its defense in the second quarter, limiting Bradley to two points in the final 6:26 of the period. The Bulldogs scored 12 points in the span while holding the Braves to 1-of-9 shooting and forcing four turnovers.
 
Monica Burich opened the second half with an and-one to knot the game at 40, and Allie Wooldridge connected on a layup soon after to cap a 6-0 burst that put Drake ahead 48-46 with 5:37 remaining in the frame. Later Wooldridge's two free throws with 8:17 to play put Drake up four but Bradley countered with back-to-back buckets to tie it at 62.
 
Grace Berg's layup at the 7:27 mark gave the Bulldogs their final lead as Bradley played from behind until Haack drilled another 3-pointer, the start of a decisive 14-2 run that pushed Bradley's lead to 76-66 with 2:37 to play. Haack finished with 22 points and six 3-pointers. Bradley shot 12-of-26 (46.2 percent) from three while Drake connected on 4-of-19 (21.1 percent) attempts from behind the arc.
 
Berg led all scorers with 23 points and posted a season-high 10 rebounds for her first career double-double. Maggie Bair contributed 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting and matched Berg with a game-high 10 rebounds. It marks the fifth-straight game Bair snared double-digit rebounds and the fourth time in five outings she has posted a double-double.
 
Bair and Berg helped enable the Bulldogs to outscore the Braves, 46-24, in the paint. Burich also played a role with 11 points and five rebounds.
 
Sarah Beth Gueldner notched 11 points and was responsible for three of Drake's four made 3-pointers on the night.
 
Drake posted a season-low 12 turnovers, outrebounded Bradley 38-33 and outscored the Braves 46-24.