The Basics
The Drake women's basketball team will host their own multi-team event here in Des Moines. The Bulldogs will welcome the likes of Louisiana Tech, Maine, and Richmond to DSM for the Vibrant Thanksgiving Classic from Nov. 24-26.
 
Vibrant Thanksgiving Classic Schedule
Friday, November 24th:
2 pm - Drake vs. Louisiana Tech
4:30 pm - Maine vs. Richmond
 
Saturday, November 25th: 
11:30 am - Louisiana Tech vs. Maine
2 pm - Drake vs. Richmond
 
Sunday, November 26th:
11:30 am - Richmond vs. Louisiana Tech
2 pm - Drake vs. Maine

Bulldogs by the Numbers
The Bulldogs are coming off their first loss of the 2023 season in a 113-90 defeat at No. 2 Iowa. Drake is now 3-1 overall with an average of 86.8 points per game. Drake's three wins have come over St. Thomas in the season opener, on the road at Saint Louis, and against Big 12 rival Iowa State.
 
Grace Berg leads a trio of double-digit scorers with 19.0 ppg. Katie Dinnebier and Taylor McAulay also net double figure averages with 16.5 ppg and 14.5 ppg, respectively.
 
Forward Anna Miller has been a force on the boards with an average of 10 rebounds per game. The junior put up her best game at Iowa with a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double and earned an MVC Player of the Week nomination because of it. Miller is also tied for the league lead with eight blocks and 2.0 blocks per game.
 
Dinnebier also tops the MVC charts with 22 total assists and an average of 5.5 per game.
 
Scouting Louisiana Tech
Louisiana Tech brings a 2-1 record into the holiday weekend. The Lady Techsters picked up wins over non-Division I opponents LSU Alexandria (11/6) and Louisiana Christian (11/9). Most recently, Louisiana Tech dropped a road tilt at No. 11 Texas, 96-44 (11/19).
 
Louisiana Tech also boasts three double-digit scorers led by Salma Bates' 14.0 ppg. Anna Larr Roberson holds an average of 11.7 ppg and Robyn Lee 10.3 ppg. Roberson is also the Lady Techsters' leader on the glass with 6.0 rebounds per game.
 
Bates has been La. Tech's best perimeter defender with 3.7 steals per game while Mackenzie Wurm protects the rim with just over a block per game. Jianna Morris' 4.0 assists per game are the most on the team.
 
Brooke Stoehr has led Louisiana Tech to a 122-93 record during her tenure in Ruston with a career coaching mark of 193-151.
 
Drake trails in the all-time series with Louisiana Tech, 3-0. The Lady Techsters won all three matchups between 1985-88 with two wins in Ruston, La. and one in Des Moines.
 
Scouting Maine
Maine currently holds the same record as the Bulldogs at 3-1 overall. The Black Bears have won their last three contests after dropping the season debut. Drake will close the Vibrant Thanksgiving Classic against Maine on Sunday afternoon.
 
Anne Simon has been on a heater to start the season, scoring 20.8 points per game through the Black Bears' first four. She also leads Maine with a 46.6% field goal percentage, 77.8% free throw percentage, and 2.0 steals per game.
 
Adrianna Smith is the Black Bears' only other double-digit scorer with 10.8 points per game. She also leads the effort on the boards with 11.3 per game and assists with 4.5 per game.
 
The Bulldogs also trail in their all-time series with Maine, 2-1. The Black Bears won the first two meetings, an 84-72 result in 1990 and a narrow 63-62 victory in Des Moines in 2003. Drake won the most recent bout with a 94-62 blowout at the Gulf Coast Showcase in 2019.
 
Maine head coach Amy Vachon has been leading the Black Bears for eight seasons. The Maine graduate has put together and impressive career with a record 133-69.
 
Scouting Richmond
The Spiders of Richmond also have a 3-1 record in the early stages of the 2023-24 season. Richmond opened the year with a 30-point defeat at Duke before rolling through wins over Delaware State, Gardner-Webb, and American by a combined 261-141.
 
Maggie Doogan leads a foursome of Spiders in scoring with 13.8 points per contest. Siobhan Ryan adds 11.8 ppg, Rachel Ullstrom adds 10.8 ppg, and Grace Townsend posts 10.5 ppg to round out Richmond's leading scorers. Townsend also leads the team with 2.0 steals and 5.3 assists per game.
 
On the interior, forward Addie Budnik leads the Spiders' efforts on the glass with 6.0 rebounds per game and blocks a team-high shot per game.
 
Aaron Roussell is currently in his fifth season at the helm of the Richmond women's basketball program. Roussell, a 2001 University of Iowa graduate, has had a 68-52 record at Richmond with a 380-174 mark overall including stops at UChicago and Bucknell.
 
Drake and Richmond have square off once in the teams' histories. The Bulldogs earned a 77-64 win in Nov. 2006 in Cancun, Mexico.
 
Up Next
Drake will hit the road for their next contest as the calendar turns to December. The Bulldogs will visit Minnesota for their second road tilt at a Big Ten foe on Dec. 2.