DES MOINES, IOWA – In front of over 4,000 elementary and middle school students at the annual Pack the Knapp game, the Drake women's basketball team rolled past Lindenwood in an 87-60 victory inside a full arena on Thursday, Dec. 1.
 
Maggie Bair scored the first eight points for the Bulldogs, who were out to an 8-2 lead within the first two minutes of the contest. Lindenwood trimmed the deficit to five points (18-13) with 2:53 to play in the opening quarter, but Drake finished the frame strong with a Megan Meyer trifecta in the closing seconds for a 27-17 advantage after one period of play.
 
The Bulldogs pulled away for good in the second quarter. Lindenwood's Sophia Horton scored the first basket of the second quarter before Drake ventured on an 11-0 run capped off by an Ashley Iiams layup as the home team led 38-19 at the 6:04 mark.
 
In the final four minutes of the first half, Drake went into halftime on another 11-0 spurt, this time completed by a strong driving layup from Katie Dinnebier. The Bulldogs were doubling up the Lions at halftime, 52-26.
 
Sarah Beth Gueldner paced Drake's 3-point barrage by making a total of four from outside the arc and Courtney Becker joined in on the fun with a triple of her own in the third quarter as Drake commanded a 61-26 lead with 6:36 remaining.
 
Bair continued to dominate inside, finishing with 16 points as another layup in the final minute of the third cemented Drake's 72-42 edge heading into the final 10 minutes of play.
 
Gueldner led all scorers with 17 points, a new season high. Bair followed with 16 points while Katie Dinnebier added 14 and Meyer chipped in 13.
 
Becker led the way on the boards with six, just two shy of her season best. Grace Berg distributed five assists to lead all players, equaling her single-game high this season.
 
"The amazing piece of this game is it's our second opportunity to play in front of this crowd." Suzie Glazer Burt head coach Allison Pohlman said. "It speaks to our community and the amount of support we have in Des Moines and the state."
 
"Our team knew we had an advantage in the paint and Maggie [Bair] was able to establish herself," Pohlman continued. "Anna Miller did the same. On a day where [Lindenwood] chose to take that away, we had players that shot the ball extremely well. Lots of fun to watch everything come together.  I was proud of was our ball security. [That] just gives us more opportunities to get shots up and just adds to our point totals. That's a big focus for us. We don't feel any pressure [to score at least 80 points] but we're committed to our tempo and make open shots."
 
Drake will hit the road to visit South Dakota on Tuesday, Dec. for their next matchup.
 
"We're really not home much in December, so [this month] poses a great opportunity to grow on the road," Pohlman added."This is just the next step in our process."
 
NOTES

• Drake is now 4-2 on the 2022-23 season.
• Thursday's matinee affair was the annual Pack the Knapp for Character game hosted by the Ray Center. Over 4,000 area elementary and middle school students from over 50 local schools were in attendance.
• Drake held its largest halftime lead of the season, 52-26.
• Despite being held scoreless in the first half, Grace Berg tied her season high with five assists.
• Sarah Beth Gueldner scored a new season-high 17 points on 4-of-7 three-point shooting and 3-of-4 free throw shooting.
• Three other Bulldogs netted double-figure points (Bair 16, Dinnebier 14, Meyer 13).
• Drake has eclipsed the 80-point mark in all six games this season and entered Thursday's tilt with the fifth-best scoring offense in Division I.
• As a team, Drake shot a blistering 57.6% from the field, their best output of the year.
• Drake dominated the transition game, outscoring Lindenwood 17-0 in fast break opportunities.
• The Bulldogs also owned the paint, posting a 50-22 advantage inside.
• Courtney Becker led all players on the glass with six rebound