DES MOINES, IOWA -- Grace Berg's season-high 21 points and Maddie Petersen's return from an injury weren't quite enough as the Drake University women's basketball team lost to Valparaiso 72-65 at the Knapp Center on Friday night.

The Bulldogs cut into a nine-point deficit in the final 4 minutes, then missed a shot that would have given them the lead before the Beacons scored the final six points to wrap up their second straight victory over Drake after losing the first 13 games of the series.

Drake managed only 26 points in the second half after leading 39-32 at halftime and fell to 11-10 overall and 3-7 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Valparaiso, which started the season 0-9, improved to 7-14 and 5-5. The Beacons won the first meeting with the Bulldogs 71-61 in Valparaiso on Jan. 9.

Berg knocked down a 3-pointer from top of the key 53 seconds into the game for the Bulldogs' first basket and finished 6-for-8 from the field. She also went 6-for-7 at the free throw line, grabbed four rebounds and handed out two assists.

Petersen came back after missing the previous four games with a hand injury and made an immediate impact. The graduate point guard checked into the game at the 6:54 mark in the first quarter and buried a 3 from the right wing 63 seconds later. She finished with 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting.

Maggie Bair scored nine points and pulled down nine rebounds for the Bulldogs, while Hannah Fuller had eight points, five rebounds and two assists. Freshman Anna Miller grabbed four rebounds and blocked four shots, one short of her career high.

Grace White scored 20 points for Valparaiso, collected a career-high 11 rebounds and matched her career best with six steals. The Beacons matched their season best with 14 steals in all and piled up a 30-14 edge in points off turnovers.

Carrie Weinman scored 15 points for Valpo and Shay Frederick had 14.

White, Frederick and Weinman frequently beat their defenders off the dribble to get layups or draw fouls. The Beacons sank all 17 of their free throws in the second half and finished 21-of-25 for the game.

Drake got points from nine different players in building a 31-21 lead midway through the second quarter and Berg's second 3 of the game helped the Bulldogs take their 39-32 lead into halftime. The Bulldogs started the game 5-for-8 from behind the arc but went 4-for-22 the rest of the way.

Valpo opened the second half with a 12-3 run to take a 46-44 lead and the Bulldogs had to scramble to keep pace the rest of the way. Drake held its last lead at 53-52 when Berg got inside for a basket early in the fourth quarter. Weinman answered with a 3 a minute later, starting a 9-0 run that lifted the Beacons into a 61-53 lead, and they led 64-55 after Weinman converted a three-point play on yet another drive to the basket.

But the Bulldogs weren't finished.

Petersen buried a 3 from the right corner and Berg came up with an old-fashioned three-point play, then sank two free throws. Fuller dropped in two more from the line after a steal and suddenly, the Bulldogs trailed just 66-65 with 1:33 left.

They got the ball right back after Valpo missed a rushed 3 and Berg found herself open at the top of the key. But her 3-point shot bounced off the rim and Valpo pulled away, getting a layup from Weinman on a nice cut along the baseline and making four free throws.

Drake will try to bounce back on Sunday when Loyola visits the Knapp Center for a 2 p.m. tipoff.



TEAM NOTES
•Drake, suffering its second straight loss, fell to 11-10 overall including a 3-7 Missouri Valley Conference record entering a Sunday home game with Loyola.
•Drake made nine three-point baskets after only making five of 26 three-point shots at Valparaiso Jan. 9.
•Drake blocked eight shots, marking the ninth time the Bulldogs had blocked five or more shots in a game. The Bulldogs had three blocked shots in the first quarter, equaling its entire output of three blocked shots at Valparaiso Jan. 9.
•Drake fell to 10-3 when leading at half after seeing a 39-32 halftime lead evaporate.
 
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
•Junior Grace Berg  scored a season-high 21 points, including 14 in the first half.
•Berg enjoyed her 12^thdouble-figure scoring game of the season.
•Maggie Bair, Grace Berg, Katie Dinnebier—who had missed the previous game at Valparaiso—combined to score 35 points.  Bair had nine points and nine rebounds, while Dinnebier talled four points.
•Maddie Petersen, who had missed the previous four games because of a hand injury, returned to lineup with 6:54 in the first quarter and made a three-point basket 63 seconds later to give Drake a 13-4 lead.
•Peterson finished with 10 points-her fourth double-figure scoring game of the season. 
•Dinnebier dished out five assists, marking eighth game (third in a row) with five or more assists.
•Graduate senior guard Hannah Fuller, who made her third start of the season and ninth of career,  scored eight points, while tying a career high with two three-point baskets.
 
The Series
•Valparaiso earns its first victory ever in Des Moines, while sweeping the regular season series against Drake.
•Drake owns 13-2 series lead including 6-1 mark in Des Moines.