DES MOINES, Iowa – A big fourth quarter sent Drake past Northern Iowa and into the next round of the Women's NIT.
 
Maddie Petersen and Maggie Bair each scored 13 points and the Bulldogs forced the Panthers into difficult shots throughout  the game in a 62-55 second-round victory at the Knapp Center on Monday night.
 
Megan Meyer and Anna Miller added 10 points apiece for Drake (20-13), which will play at South Dakota State on Thursday in the Round of 16. It was the Bulldogs' fifth straight victory over UNI and 14^th in the last 15 meetings.
 
Miller also grabbed 11 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season, blocked four shots and handed out three assists. Bair complemented her scoring with nine rebounds, four blocks and three steals, while Petersen, making the 150^th start of her career, sank 11-of-12 free throws and handed out three assists.
 
Drake finished with 12 blocks in all, a season high, and outrebounded the Panthers 46-41.
 
Grace Berg had six points, six rebounds and four assists and Meyer hit two key 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to help the Bulldogs finally get some separation in a game marked by intense defense on both sides.
 
With the victory, Allison Pohlman became just the second Drake coach to win 20 games in her first season.  She's now tied for fifth with Creighton's Connie Yori on the Missouri Valley Conference's all-time list of first-year coaching victories.
 
Lisa Stone is the Drake leader in that category, going 23-7 in her first season, 2000-01.
 
Kam Finley led Northern Iowa with 11 points, while Grace Boffeli, Karli Rucker and Cynthia Wolf each scored 10 for the Panthers, who finished 23-11 after reaching the WNIT semifinals a year ago.
 
The lead changed hands seven times in the first half, which ended 28-all, and Rucker's jump shot gave UNI a 42-40 lead heading into the fourth quarter after four ties in the third period.
 
Once the fourth quarter started, the Bulldogs quickly took control. Petersen sank two free throws and Meyer drained a 3 from the left corner to start a 9-0 run that lifted Drake into a 49-42 lead with 4:26 left.
 
The Panthers missed their first 12 shots of the quarter before Wolf connected from the baseline to slice the lead to 49-44. But Berg answered for the Bulldogs, first feeding Miller for a layup, then banking in a fadeaway hook shot to make it 53-44.
 
Megan ended any doubt when she knocked down a deep 3 from the right wing to stretch the lead to 58-48 with 1:45 to play.
 
Drake held UNI to 30.6 percent shooting (22-for-72), the season low for the Panthers, and forced 15 turnovers.  The Bulldogs did a good job keeping the Panthers out of the middle and UNI could not compensate with it outside shooting, going 1-for-14 from 3-point range in the second half and 5-for-24 for the game.
 
 
 
TEAM NOTES
•Drake, winning its eight game in the last nine outings, improved to 20-13, while advancing to the quarterfinal round at South Dakota Thursday.
•The Bulldogs improved their overall record in the Women's National Invitation Tournament to 18-14, while winning two games in the tournament for the second straight year.
•It marked the 20th20-win season in Drake history.
•Allison Pohlman became just the second coach in Drake history to win 20 games in her first year as head coach, joining Lisa Stone who posted a 23-7record in her first year during the 2000-01 season.
•Allison Pohlman's 20 victories also moved her into a tie for No. 5 on the Missouri Valley Conference list with Connie Yori of Creighton (1992-93) for most wins as a first-year coach at 20.
*Drake had a season high 11 blocked shots, bettering its previous high of 10 against Missouri State.
•Drake held UNI to a season-low 30.6 percent shooting (22-72).
 
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
•Maggie Bair and Maddie Petersen paced a balanced attack with 13 points apiece, while Megan Meyer and Anna Miller each had 10 points. Bair had just two points in nine minutes in her last game against UNI Feb. 19.
•Freshman Anna Miller enjoyed her fourth career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. 
•Maddie Petersen set career highs by making 11 of 12 free throws in the game.
•Maggie Bair blocked a season-high four shots, while tying a season high with three steals. It marked the sixth time Bair has blocked three or more shots in a game.
•Anna Miller blocked four shots, marking the eighth time she has blocked three or more shots in a game this season .

THE SERIES
•The Bulldogs, winning their 5th straight game against UNI, improved their series record to 70-25 against the Panthers.