DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake women's basketball team caught Creighton on an afternoon the 20th-ranked Bluejays rarely missed and lost 89-78 in the Bulldogs' final nonconference game at the Knapp Center on Sunday.
 
The Bulldogs (6-4) were not bad themselves, shooting 62 percent in the second half and 53 percent for the game, but they couldn't make much dent in the 12-point lead Creighton built at halftime because the Bluejays (8-2) kept answering at the other end.
 
Creighton shot 60.6 percent in the second half, including 8-for-12 from three-point range, and 54.5 percent for the game. It was just the second time this season a Drake opponent has shot better than 50 percent.
 
Drake got another outstanding game from Missouri Valley Conference scoring leader Katie Dinnebier, who filled the stat sheet with 26 points, seven assists to match her season high and three steals. The fiery junior made 8-of-12 shots and went 4-for-5 from deep, tying her career high for triples. It was Dinnebier's ninth career game of 20 or more points and fifth this season.
 
Anna Miller just missed her fourth double-double of the season, scoring 15 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Grace Berg added 14 points and passed Kristin Turk for 21st place on Drake's career scoring list, running her total to 1,410.
 
Courtney Becker had seven points, five rebounds, two assists and a block for the Bulldogs, who shot better than 50 percent for the sixth time this season.
 
Emma Ronsiek scored 25 of her career-high 31 points in the second half to lead Creighton, which won at the Knapp Center for the first time since a 108-100 four-overtime thriller on Dec. 3, 2017. Ronsiek made her first 10 shots of the second half and finished 13-of-19 from the field, including 3-for-6 from deep.
 
Creighton's Lauren Jensen went 5-for-8 on treys and scored 22 points as the Bluejays finished 14-of-31 from behind the arc.
 
Drake took the early lead, getting a 3-pointer from Berg to start the game and a steal and layup from Taylor McAulay for a 5-3 edge. Creighton answered with 10 straight points and the Bulldogs had to play catch-up the rest of the way.
 
With Creighton up 19-10 after one quarter, Dinnebier led a 9-0 charge that pulled the Bulldogs into a tie at 19, hitting a three-pointer from the left wing, drawing a foul and making both free throws and feeding Ashley Iiams for a fastbreak layup after stealing the ball.
 
The Bluejays answered with eight straight points and went on to build a 40-28 halftime lead. Then came a third quarter that was both productive and frustrating for the Bulldogs.
 
Drake shot 65 percent in the period, went 4-for-5 from three-point range and made all five of its free throws, but could slice only one point off the lead. That's because Creighton went 13-for-19 from the field and also buried four shots from deep.
 
The end result was a 70-59 lead after the two teams combined for 61 points in the quarter – 31 by Drake. The Bulldogs kept pace through the fourth quarter but never got the difference into single figures.
 
"We needed to run this team off the three-point line a little bit more, especially early in the game," Suzie Glazer Burt Head Coach Allison Pohlman said. "We also didn't have the most opportunities to get our transition game going and take advantage of the dribble-drive. [Creighton] ended up with some 50/50 balls and tipped plays, and I'd like to see us make those plays. Hats off to Creighton and that squad, they really stuck it to us on those."
 
Drake completes the nonconference portion of its schedule at North Dakota on Thursday, Dec. 21. The game tips off at noon. The Bulldogs start MVC play on Dec. 30 at Southern Illinois, with the next home game Jan. 4 against Indiana State.
 
 
NOTES

• Drake, which leads the Missouri Valley Conference in field goal percentage, shot 52.9 percent (27-51) from the floor, marking the sixth time the Bulldogs have shot 50 percent or better in a game this season.
• Drake made eight of nine shots during a 5-minute 49-second stretch in the third quarter, including three baskets from Katie Dinnebier.
• The Bulldogs shot 62.1 percent (18-29) in the second half, including a blistering 64.7 percent (11-17) in the third quarter.
• Junior guard Katie Dinnebier led Drake with 26 points, while tying a career high with four three-point baskets and a season high with seven assists.
• It marked Dinnebier's ninth career 20-plus scoring game, including the fifth this season.
• Anna Miller, held scoreless in the first half, added 15 points along with a game-high nine rebounds.
• Senior Grace Berg had 14 points, six rebounds, and four assists.
• Berg moved into No. 21 on the Drake career scoring list with 1,410 points surpassing Kristin Turk (1,405, 2007-11).
• Drake trailed at halftime, 40-28 — the second largest halftime deficit in a home game this season only trailing a 42-26 deficit to Richmond, Nov. 25.
• Creighton hit 54.5 percent from the floor (36-66), becoming only the second Drake opponent this season to shoot 50 percent or better from the floor. No. 4 Iowa shot 64.3 percent against the Bulldogs Nov. 19.
• Drake suffered its fifth straight loss to a nationally ranked team since beating No. 22 Nebraska, 80-62, Nov. 19, 2022
• This marked Creighton's first win in Des Moines since earning a 108-100 four-overtime decision Dec. 3, 2017.
• Drake, which had won four of the previous five meetings against Creighton, leads the series 43-29 including a 25-11 mark in Des Moines.