The Basics
The Drake women's basketball team will start a three-game road swing this weekend. The Bulldogs are set to travel to Southern Illinois and Missouri State on Jan. 26 and Jan. 28, respectively.
 
Bair-ing the Load
Maggie Bair leads Drake in both scoring and rebounding. The senior forward is scoring 15.5 points per game and collecting 8.3 rebounds per game, both among the five highest averages in the MVC. She also leads The Valley and ranks ninth nationally with a .627 field goal percentage.
 
Point Guard on Point
Star sophomore Katie Dinnebier has been one of the best all-around players in the Missouri Valley Conference this year. Dinnebier is one of five Bulldogs scoring double figures with an average of 11.3 points per game. She also leads the Bulldogs and the MVC with 81 total assists and 5.1 assists per game. Dinnebier also leads Drake and is second-best in the MVC from the free throw line with just seven total misses and percentage of .899.
 
Meet Her at the Rim
Sophomore forward Anna Miller has been an important piece of the Drake puzzle this season on both ends of the floor. Miller has come in off the bench in all 16 games for the Bulldogs and scored 8.4 points per game. She is also one of the premier interior defenders in the MVC with 35 blocked shots, the second-highest total in the league. Miller now has 85 blocks in her career, good enough for ninth all-time in Drake women's basketball history.
 
Gueldner's Growth
Starting guard Sarah Beth Gueldner has regained some confidence and rhythm in recent games, jumping back into the double-digit scoring club. The 33% three-point shooter is scoring 10.3 points per game and is one of two 80%+ free throw shooters on the Drake roster.
 
Glass Cleaners
Drake has been one of the premier rebounding teams in the conference and the country. The Bulldogs lead the Division I with 33.5 defensive rebounds per game and are seventh in total rebounding average with 45.9 per game. Drake also ranks sixth in the nation with an 11.6 rebounding margin.
 
Coaching Milestone
In the Bulldogs' matchup with Valparaiso, Suzie Glazer Burt Head Coach Allison Pohlman earned a victory in her 50th game at the helm of the Drake women's basketball program. Pohlman has posted a record of 31-19 in nearly two seasons as the Bulldogs' head coach.
 
Team Stats Leaders
As a team, Drake ranks in the national top 10 of these statistical categories:

• Defensive rebounds/game - 1st – 33.5
• Assists/game – 3rd – 20.4
• Blocks/game - 4th - 5.9
• Rebounding margin - 6th - 11.5
• Rebounds/game - 7th - 45.9
• Field goald pct. – 8th - 48.2

 
Scouting Southern Illinois
Southern Illinois enters the week with an overall record of 7-10 and an even 4-4 mark in Missouri Valley Conference play. The Salukis have had an up-and-down season with separate streaks of four-straight losses and three-straight wins. In their most recent contest, SIU suffered a 101-45 loss at Belmont, the most lopsided MVC final of the season.
 
Ashley Jones leads Southern Illinois as the Salukis' lone double-digit scorer with 14.5 points per game. Jones also leads the Salukis at the free throw line with a .746 percentage.
 
Forward Laniah Randle and center Promise Taylor both average six-plus rebounds to lead the team. Taylor has also been the best rim protector in The Valley with 41 total blocks and 2.4 blocks per game.
 
Southern Illinois is led by first-year head coach Kelly Bond-White.
 
In the all-time series, Drake leads Southern Illinois by a 65-30 margin. The Salukis swept last season's meetings after Drake rattled off 12-straight victories from 2016-21.
 
Scouting Missouri State
The Lady Bears bring a 10-7 overall record and 5-3 MVC record into the weekend. Prior to winning their last game over Murray State, the Lady Bears split four contests in MVC play. Missouri State will take on UNI on Thursday, Jan. 26 before hosting the Bulldogs on Saturday, Jan. 28.
 
A trio of Lady Bears are scoring double figures led by Aniya Thomas' 14.1 points per game. Kennedy Taylor and Sydney Wilson are also scoring 11+ ppg. Thomas also paces the Lady Bears with 4.7 assists per game and Kennedy and 2.4 steals per game. Indya Green lead Missouri State on the glass with averages of 8.2 rpg and 8.0 rpg, respectively.
 
Beth Cunningham is in her first year leading the Missouri State women's basketball program. Cunningham came to the MVC after nine seasons at VCU. She has built a career record of 177-122 at both stops.
 
Missouri State holds a 50-44 advantage in the all-time series with Drake. The Lady Bears have won the last eight meetings including the most recent installment at the 2022 Hoops in the Heartland. Drake's last victory came in the 2019 season at Missouri State.
 
Up Next
Drake will continue their road swing with another mid-week rivalry matchup. The Bulldogs will complete the season series with UNI on Wednesday, Feb. 1 in Cedar Falls.