DES MOINES – Megan Meyer, Grace Berg and Maggie Bair made sure their seniors went out on a winning note.

The three juniors combined for 50 points and helped the Drake University women's basketball team rally for a 77-71 Senior Day victory over Bradley at the Knapp Center on Sunday afternoon.
Bradley jumped to a 14-point lead in the first half behind a flurry of 3-point baskets before the Bulldogs shut down the Braves over the final two quarters to win for the third straight time and keep alive the possibility of a .500 finish in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Drake improved to 15-12 overall and 7-9 in the league with two games remaining, both on the road. Bradley, losing at the Knapp Center for the 12^th time in the last 13 visits, fell to 4-22 and 1-16 despite big games from freshman Caroline Waite and senior Tatum Koenig.

Seniors Maddie Petersen, Hannah Fuller and Allie Woolridge were honored in a postgame ceremony, the Bulldogs' strong second half making it a much happier occasion. They outscored the Braves 45-27 over the final two quarters and held them to 23.3 percent shooting (7-for-30).

Meyer matched her career highs with six 3-point baskets and 22 points and combined with Bair for all the points in a decisive 9-2 run that sealed the victory. Bair finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while Berg had 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

Petersen had nine points and three assists in her final home game, while freshman Katie Dinnebier contributed seven points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals.
The Bulldogs finally put the game away after Koenig hit a 3 to tie it at 67 with 3:26 remaining.  Bair sank two free throws to put Drake ahead to stay, then knocked down a huge 3 from the top of the key for a 72-67 lead with 1:46 left.

Bradley cut the lead to 72-69 on Abbie Draper's putback, but the Bulldogs responded. Dinnebier hit Meyer cutting to the basket for a layup and Bair added two more free throws with 22.9 seconds left to put the Bulldogs safely ahead at 76-69.

The solid finish made up for a frustrating start. Drake shot just 33 percent in the opening half while Bradley was making one shot after another. The Braves knocked down 11 of 16 shots in the second quarter, including 6-of-8 from 3-point range. The sharp shooting propelled them into a 44-30 lead before Berg got free for a layup just before the half ended.

Even after cooling off, the Braves still led 56-47 midway through the third quarter. That's when the Bulldogs started to click. Dinnebier and Meyer buried back-to-back 3s to start a 12-2 run that sent Drake into the fourth quarter with a 59-58 lead.

Bradley moved back ahead with five quick points, but Meyer followed with her final 3 of the game and Berg converted an old-fashioned three-point play off an offensive rebound to lift the Bulldogs into a 65-63 lead. They never trailed again.

Koenig led Bradley with 22 points and Waite, the career scoring leader at Ames (Iowa) High School, finished with 22. They combined to go 9-for-20 from 3-pointer range, but were just 2-for-9 in the second half. Bradley slipped to 4-for-17 from long range over the final two quarters after making 8-of-15 in the first half.

Drake finished 12-for-36 on 3-pointers, the eighth time this season the Bulldogs have made at least 10. They outrebounded Bradley 46-33, had assists on 23 of their 27 field goals and shot 52 percent in the second half to finish at 41.5 percent for the game.

The Bulldogs wrap up the regular with games at Evansville next Thursday, March 3, and at Indiana State two days later.