DES MOINES, Iowa – Maggie Bair's double-double and lockdown defense lifted the Drake women's basketball team to a 63-51 victory over UIC at the Knapp Center on Thursday night.
 
Bair scored 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as the Bulldogs (10-5, 5-2 Missouri Valley Conference) won for the fifth time in the last six games and gave up the fewest points against a league opponent since beating Loyola 75-46 in Chicago on Feb. 5, 2021.
 
It was the fifth double-double this season for Bair, who made 9-of-17 shots, blocked two shots, and came up with two steals. Grace Berg also reached double figures with 10 points, all in the first half, while tacking on three rebounds, four assists and two steals.
 
Courtney Becker was strong off the bench with eight points, eight rebounds and two blocks, while Katie Dinnebier contributed seven points, six assists, three rebounds and a steal, playing 26 ½ minutes without a turnover.
 
Dinnebier made all five of her free throws and owns a streak of 17 straight.
 
Josie Filer, who started her college career at Omaha after playing at Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines, led UIC (11-7, 3-4) with 18 points. The Flames, playing their first season in the MVC, had a three-game winning streak broken.
 
Drake started the game with a quick five points – Bair scoring inside on a feed from Berg and Taylor McAulay hitting a corner 3 – then broke it open with a 22-2 run spanning the break between the first and second quarters.
 
Bair got things started by hitting a short turnaround jumper in the lane, then drove for a basket before Berg buried back-to-back 3-pointers for a 21-9 lead. Dinnebier's old-fashioned three-play gave the Bulldogs a 24-11 lead at the quarter break.
 
They kept it up as the second quarter got under way, rattling off the first nine points to stretch the lead to 33-11. The Bulldogs held the Flames scoreless for more than 5:30 during the big run and went into halftime leading 44-22.
 
With Bair getting two quick buckets inside, Drake ran off the first seven points of the second half to open its biggest lead of the night, 51-22. The Bulldogs' offense slowed after that, but the defense held firm and they were never seriously challenged the rest of the way.
 
Drake shot 51.7 percent in the first half and 44 percent for the game. The Bulldogs held UIC to 32.5 percent shooting for the first three quarters, outrebounded the Flames 36-27 and finished with assists on 16 of their 22 field goals.
 
This was only the fourth time in 15 games this season that Drake failed to score 80 points. It's the first time the Bulldogs have won scoring fewer than 80 since beating Northern Iowa 62-55 in the second round of the WNIT last March.
 
"We were able to get a cushion early…in that second half we did not really flow well, we played at their pace." Suzie Glazer Burt Head Coach Allison Pohlman said after the game. "We got a little one-dimensional, not really the style we play. It will be good to evaluate this and learn from it but I'm really happy about how we started tonight and getting a Valley win."
 
The Bulldogs will return to the Knapp Center on Saturday to host Valparaiso. Game time is 2 p.m.
 
 
TEAM NOTES

• Drake, winning its second-straight game, improved its record to 10-5 including a 5-2 mark in the Missouri Valley Conference.
• The 51 points scored by UIC were the fewest Drake has allowed an opponent in a MVC game since earning a 75-46 victory at Loyola of Chicago on Feb. 5, 2021.
• Meanwhile, the 63 points scored by the Bulldogs were the fewest tallied in a Drake victory this season. The Bulldogs had scored at least 80 points in all their previous nine victories this season. The last time Drake scored under 80 points in a victory occurred in the second round of the 2022 WNIT in a 62-55 win against Northern Iowa.
• Drake, which leads the NCAA in defensive rebounds per game (34.4 avg.) had 26 defensive rebounds.
• The Bulldogs, who also led the NCAA in assists (21.5 avg.) distributed 16 assists.
• Drake's 44-22 halftime lead marked the fourth time Drake has scored 40-plus points in the first half this season
• Drake improved its record to 9-3 when leading at halftime this season

 
INDIVIDUAL NOTES

• Maggie Bair logged her fifth double-double of the season with a game-high 19 points and 12 rebounds.
• Bair, who ranks fourth on the Drake career blocked shots list (124), had two rejections marking her ninth multiple game of two or more blocked shots.
• Grace Berg added 10 points — all in the first half.
• Sophomore Katie Dinnebier dished out a game-high six assists, while enjoying her second game of the season without a turnover.
• Dinnebier also made all five free throw attempts, extending her streak to 17 straight made free throws over the last five games.

 
THE SERIES

• Drake improved its record in the series to 6-1, including a 5-0 mark in games played in Des Moines.
• This was the first meeting between the schools since the Bulldogs claimed a 71-61 home victory Nov. 18. 2012.