DES MOINES, Iowa – Drake women's basketball opened their 2022-23 campaign with an exhibition victory over the Bearcats of Northwest Missouri State. The Bulldogs outscored their Division II opponents by an 84-41 margin.
 
Drake jumped out to an early lead with layups from Grace Berg and Maggie Bair. The Bulldog bigs, along with reserve forward Anna Miller, showcased their dominance all afternoon with a 45-24 rebounding differential. Drake also outscored the Bearcats 42-12 in the paint.
 
The Bulldog offense continued to surge in the early stages of the game as Katie Dinnebier bookended a 15-0 run to end the opening quarter. Dinnebier splashed in a floater as time expired on the first ten minutes to go up 25-9.
 
The second quarter saw similar action as Drake continued to score at will. Miller banked in a layup with just under a minute to play in the second quarter to give the Bulldogs a 39-15 advantage, their largest lead of the first half.
 
Drake was able to mix up their lineups after the halftime break as the score continued to bloom. Ashley Iiams joined the party with a few scores and Megan Meyer found some rhythm beyond the three-point arc. Drake led 62-27 after three.
 
Freshmen Ava Hawthorne and Taedyn Gray were able to contribute later in the second half. The Bulldogs emptied their bench in the final moments when Hannah Nilges checked in for the first time. Iiams eventually laid in a bunny to reach the final 84-41 tally.
 
Five Bulldogs reached double-figures in the scoring column led by Anna Miller's 17. Megan Meyer netted 15 points while Berg and Bair added 13. The Bulldogs' fifth starter, Sarah Beth Gueldner, chipped in with 10. Miller also led all players with eight rebounds while Katie Dinnebier dished out a team-high seven assists.
 
"Today was a really good opportunity for us to get out on the new home court." Suzie Glazer Burt Head Coach Allison Pohlman said after the showcase. "What you saw was our style, we rebounded really well, shared the ball well, had five people in double figures. Anna's [Miller] confidence is exploding. Being able to watch her make in-game adjustments and seek out the ball is great. She took what the defense gave her and was tenacious on the offensive glass. I think we can focus on overall pace of offense and ball security, too many unforced things we need to clean up."
 
Drake will open the 2022-23 regular season in their next contest when they host Green Bay on Nov. 7 in the Knapp Center.
 
Tickets are available at draketix.com/wbb
 
 
 
Notes

• Drake's win marked their 16th-straight victory in an exhibition contest.
• The Bulldogs forced 23 Bearcat turnovers and scored 21 points off those errors.
• Anna Miller led all players with 17 points and eight rebounds including a perfect 3-3 performance from three-point territory.
• All 13 Drake players checked in to Sunday's game.
• The Bulldogs shot 50.8% from the field.
• Drake's bench outscored Northwest Missouri State's reserves 27-17.