CHICAGO, Ill. – Physical play and poor three-point shooting doomed the Drake women's basketball team in an MVC matchup at UIC. The host Flames were able to keep Drake's potent offense off balance throughout and earn a 64-52 win. The Bulldogs' loss dropped them to 14-8 overall and 9-5 in Valley play.
 
In the third quarter at UIC, Drake senior Maggie Bair made history as the 36th player in Drake history to score 1,000-career points. Bair led the Bulldogs will 15 points and eight rebounds.
 
Reserve forward Anna Miller scored 12 points as one of three double-digit scorers for Drake. She collected seven boards and dished out three assists.
 
Grace Berg had 11 points including the Bulldogs' lone three-pointer with 45 seconds to play. She also added four rebounds and three assists.
 
Offense was at a premium from the jump as both teams probed their way through a defensive first quarter. Maggie Bair started her historic day with the Bulldogs' first four points. Grace Berg matched with four of her own as Drake led 10-6 after one.
 
Shots started to fall as the physicality continued in the second quarter. UIC was able to cut into the Bulldogs' lead and eventually took one of their own on a Tiana Jackson floater.
 
Despite both Berg and Bair picking up two early fouls each, the deficit never slipped past three points for Drake as the Bulldogs stayed within striking distance. Eventually Berg was able to regain the lead for Drake on a layup assisted by Anna Miller.
 
The score remained unchanged for the final 2:38 of the first half until Courtney Becker split a pair of freebies to give the Bulldogs a 26-24 halftime advantage.
 
The Bulldogs built a lead as large as 10 midways through the third period before UIC battled back again. The Flames rattled off an 18-4 run to end the stanza. The Flames' increased pressure gave the hosts a 43-39 lead with 10 minutes to play.
 
Bair continued her historic day in the fourth quarter, reaching 15 points with the period's first score. Bair's basket sparked a short Bulldog rally, but the Flames held firm and built a 10-point lead of their own.
 
UIC used their physical pressure and clutch free throw shooting down the stretch to secure the 64-52 victory.
 
"1-for-20 from three is frustrating…we've hung our hat on rebounding and we got outrebounding today," Suzie Glazer Burt Head Coach Allison Pohlman said. "We just have to regroup."
 
Drake's next time on the floor will be back in Des Moines for their penultimate homestand of the 2022-23 regular season. The Bulldogs will host Bradley on Thursday, Feb. 16 and league-leading Illinois State on Saturday, Feb. 18 at the Knapp Center.
 
 
 
TEAM NOTES

• Drake fell 14-7 overall and 9-4 in the Missouri Valley Conference while snapping a two-game winning streak.
• The Bulldogs 10-point first quarter was their lowest-scoring period since opening the game with eight points at UNI on Feb. 1.
• Drake shot just 1-for20 from three-point range for a .050 percentage, their lowest of the year.
• Drake was out rebounded UIC by a 43-38.

 
INDIVIDUAL NOTES

• In the third quarter, Maggie Bair made history and became the 36th player in Drake history to score 1,000 career points.
• Bair led the Bulldogs with 15 points and eight rebounds.
• Reserve forward Anna Miller followed Bair with 12 points and seven board.
• Grace Berg was the third and final Bulldog in double figures with 11 including Drake's lone three-pointer.
• Sunday's game marked the first time Drake had multiple players fould out this season as Bair and Courtney Becker were each charged with five fouls.

THE SERIES

• Drake now leads the series with UIC by a 6-2 margin.
• Both UIC wins over the Bulldogs have come in Chicago.