The Basics
Drake women's hoops comes back to the Midwest for their next pair of non-conference games. The Bulldogs will host Lindenwood on Thursday, Dec. 1 at 11 a.m. before traveling to South Dakota on Tuesday, Dec. 6 for their first true road test of the season.
 
Meyer on Fire
Megan Meyer, the 2021-22 MVC Newcomer of the Year and a 2022-23 Preseason All-MVC selection, added to her Bulldog accolades with the most recent MVC Player of the Week honor. Meyer earned the weekly award after an excellent FIU Thanksgiving Classic where she posted a career-high 25 points, including seven made threes, in the opening contest. She also added 16 points in the Bulldogs' 97-60 consolation victory over Howard.
 
Don't Poke the Bair
Maggie Bair has put together quite the start to her senior season. The Bulldog forward is not only leading Drake with 16.4 ppg and top five in the country with a .694 field goal percentage, but she was also named to the FIU Thanksgiving Classic All-Tournament Team after nearly averaging a double-double and shooting at a 76.2% clip over two games.
 
Berg Booming for Bulldogs
Redshirt senior Grace Berg has been another standout for the Bulldogs with averages of 14.2 ppg, 6.8 rpg, and 3.2 apg. Berg is also shooting better than 40% from the field and from three-point range.
 
Not in Her House
Forward Anna Miller's 13 blocks lead both Drake and the MVC. She is averaging 3.3 blocks per game and ranks fourth in the country with a 17.5% block rate. Miller also equaled her career-best with 16 points in Drake's last game vs. Howard.
 
Becker Back on Track
Reserve Courtney Becker bounced back in the FIU Thanksgiving Classic finale last Sunday (11/27). Becker scored 11 points in 19 minutes of action, her first double-figure output of the year, on 2-of-3 shooting from deep.
 
Straight Buckets
Drake has been clicking offensively through their early non-conference schedule with an average of 85.2 points per contest, the fifth-most in Division I women's basketball.
 
Polls Are Closed
After receiving eight votes in last week's Associated Press Top 25 following a home upset of No. 22 Nebraska, Drake fell from the receiving votes portion of the poll.
 
Ranked Road Ahead
The Bulldogs' non-conference schedule doesn't get any easier as Drake is set for two more contests against ranked opponents. The Bulldogs will travel to No. 16 Creighton and No. 5 Iowa State in December.
 
Prior to last weekend's triumph over No. 22 Nebraska, the Bulldogs' last victory against a nationally ranked team was a 90-85 overtime win against then No. 12 ranked South Carolina, Nov. 24, 2018, for third place in the Vancouver (Canada) Showcase. It was the highest win over a ranked opponent for Drake since the Bulldogs upset then No. 7 Baylor in the second round of the 2002 NCAA Tournament in Waco, Texas.
 
Drake was tabbed third in the 2022-23 MVC Preseason Poll. The Bulldogs were selected to finish behind conference newcomer and multiple-NCAA Tournament game winner Belmont and last year's Hoops in the Heartland champion Illinois State. Drake earned six first place votes.
 
Scouting Lindenwood
Lindenwood enters the week with a dismal 0-5 record to start the 2022-23 season. The Lions are averaging just over 50 points per game through their five losses. Most recently, Lindenwood dropped two games at the Grand Canyon Thanksgiving Classic, a 69-53 loss to Manhattan and a blowout defeat to the host Antelopes.
 
Mary McGrath and Emily Benzschawel lead the Lions on offense with 12.0 ppg and 10.2 ppg, respectively. Benzchawel has been incredibly efficient with shooting percentages of .500 from the field, .571 from three-point range, and .875 from the free throw line. McGrath leads the Lions on the glass with an average of 6.0 boards per game. McGrath is also one of three Lindenwood players to dish out multiple assists per game along with Masyn McWilliams and Alana Striverson.
 
Lindenwood is led by head coach Katie Falco in her fifth season at the helm. Falco has put together a 62-47 record with all her wins coming at the NCAA Division II level.
 
Thursday's matchup will be the first-ever meeting between Drake and Lindenwood as the Lions are in their inaugural season at the NCAA Division I ranks.
 
Scouting South Dakota
South Dakota currently holds a 4-3 record to start their 2022-23 campaign. The Coyotes won four of their first five matchups with their first loss coming to No. 21 Creighton on Nov. 10. Most recently, South Dakota dropped a pair of games to Santa Clara and Fordham at the Las Vegas Holiday Classic.
 
Three Coyotes are averaging double figures led by Grace Larkins' 14.9 ppg. Alexi Hempe and Madison Grange are also scoring at least 10 points per game. Hempi has been lethal from beyond the arc with an impressive 52.2% three-point shooting rate on the team's third-most attempts. Larkins is also the Coyotes' leading rebounder, defender, and distributor with 7.4 boards per game, 2.4 steals per game, and 4.4 assists per game.
 
Drake and South Dakota have battled on the hardwood since the 1979-80 season. Both teams have won six games each in the all-time series with the Coyotes taking the last two. The Bulldogs' latest win came via 76-64 triumph at the Knapp Center in 2018.
 
Kayla Karius is in her first season as the South Dakota head women's basketball coach. Karius has been a renowned assistant coach in the region and spent the 2021-22 season on the Drake staff.

Up Next
Drake will hit the road for a pair of serious road challenges for their next two tilts. The Bulldogs will travel to No. 13 Creighton on Dec. 10 and No. 8 Iowa State on Dec. 22.