DES MOINES, IOWA -- Missouri State used a big edge in offensive rebounding and it usual aggressive defense to hand the Drake University women's basketball team its fourth straight loss, 69-53 at the Knapp Center on Saturday afternoon.

Drake held Missouri State to 28.8 percent shooting (21-for-73), but the Lady Bears rebounded many of those misses and cashed in on second- and third-chance opportunities. They grabbed 19 offensive rebounds in all, leading to a 19-8 edge in second-chance points.

Turnovers also hurt the Bulldogs, as did shaky shooting from the free throw line and behind the 3-point arc. The Bulldogs did put together a nice run at the start of the second half to get back into the game after trailing 38-27 at halftime, but Missouri State responded with a run of its own to regain control, leaving Drake with an uphill battle the rest of the way.

The Bulldogs, losing to Missouri State for the sixth straight time, fell to 9-8 overall and 1-5 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Missouri State, the preseason favorite to win the league, bounced back from loss at Northern Iowa on Thursday night and improved to 12-3 and 3-1.

Megan Meyer led Drake with 16 points on 6-for-9 shooting that included a 3-for-5 accuracy on 3-pointers. Freshman Katie Dinnebier added 11 points and a team-best seven rebounds, while Maggie Bair scored nine.

The Bulldogs played without graduate senior point guard Maddie Petersen, who was sidelined with a hand injury. Senior Allie Wooldridge got the start in her place, her third starting assignment in the last four games after coming off the bench previously. She finished with six points, two rebounds and two blocks.

Paige Rocca, a sophomore who played at Iowa City High, led Missouri State with a career-high 13 points. She knocked down three 3-pointers in the first half to help the Lady Bears build an early lead, matching her career high from long range.

Brice Calip and Sydney Wilson each scored 11 for the Lady Bears and Ifunanya Nwachukwu added 10 to go with 10 rebounds.

Drake, leading the Valley in free throw percentage, went just 9-for-21 from the line and was 4-for-21 on 3-pointers. The Bulldogs also committed 20 turnovers, which led to 26 Missouri State points.

Missouri State sank 20 of 28 free throws, including 10 of 12 in the fourth quarter.

Both teams got after it on the defensive end and the game stayed close until an 11-3 Missouri State run lifted the Lady Bears into their 11-point halftime lead. But Drake quickly seized the momentum at the start of the third quarter. Dinnebier was fouled as she drained a 3 and sank the free throw, starting a 12-1 burst that pulled the Bulldogs even at 39 and freshman Anna Miller's basket inside.

Wilson then missed two free throws, but Nwachukwu slid in to rebound the second miss and scored on the putback. The Lady Bears went on to score 10 of the next 11 points and put it out of reach by running off 10 straight points early in the fourth quarter after Drake had pulled to within seven.

Drake's next chance to get back in the victory column comes Friday, Jan. 21, against Northern Iowa at the Knapp Center.