The Basics
Drake women's basketball is set to return home for their penultimate homestand of the 2022-23 regular season. The Bulldogs will complete the season series with Bradley on Thursday, Feb. 16 at 6 p.m. before hosting league-leading Illinois State on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 2 p.m.
 
Bair into the Record Books
Maggie Bair garnered her fourth MVC Player of the Week nomination of the season after the Bulldogs' 1-1 week against Valpo (2/10) and UIC (2/12). Bair leads Drake in scoring with 15.7 points per game and rebounds with 8.0 boards per game. She also leads the team and the MVC, and ranks eighth in the country, with a .615 field goal percentage.
 
Bair made her mark in the record books during Drake's last time out, becoming the 36th player in Drake history to score 1,000-career points. She completed the feat on her birthday, in her home state of Illinois.
 
Point God
Katie Dinnebier continues to have a solid sophomore season for the Bulldogs. She is one of four double-digit scorers with 10.5 points per game. Dinnebier paces the Bulldogs' third-ranked assist numbers with 5.3 assists per game and 116 total distributions. Her assist figures rank in top two in the MVC and in the top 50 nationally.
 
Dinnebier also reached a career milestone in the Bulldogs' win over Valpo (2/10) as she eclipsed 500 points for her career.
 
Defensive Dynamo
Reserve forward Anna Miller has steadily ascended the Bulldogs' all-time blocked shots list this season. Her 53 blocks lead the Bulldogs and rank second in the MVC. Miller has logged 103 career blocks in just 56 games, the fastest player to reach that the triple-digit mark in program history.
 
Amazing Grace
Graduate forward Grace Berg has been rock solid for the Bulldogs this season. She's been Drake's second-leading scorer with 12.5 points per game and has also been the second-most efficient field goal, three-point, and free throw shooter.
 
Royal Rebounders
Drake continues to clean up on the defensive glass with 32.8 defensive rebounds per game. The Bulldogs' numbers on the boards ranks first in all of Division I hoops.
 
Taming the Turnovers
Despite sitting towards the bottom of the MVC list in total turnovers, Drake has been opportunistic in various spots. The Bulldogs are 8-0 when committing the same amount or fewer turnovers compared to their opponents.
 
Sixty Mark the Spot
When holding teams to 60 points or less, the Bulldogs are a stellar 9-1.
 
Winning in the Margins
In terms of margin of victory, this season has been a tale of two teams for the Bulldogs. Drake is an impressive 13-3 in games decided by doubles digits and 0-4 in games decided by 10 points or less.
 
Scouting Bradley
Belmont enters the weekend at the bottom of the MVC standings with records of 3-22 overall and 0-14 in conference play. The Braves have lost their last 17 games including the Bulldogs' 87-58 drubbing in Peoria on New Year's Day. Bradley's last win came on Dec. 6 with a 72-61 victory at Eastern Illinois.
 
Bradley is led by a pair of double-digit scorers in sophomore guards Caroline Waite and Alex Rouse. Waite, a native of Ames, Iowa, paces the team with 12.8 points per game while Rouse nets 11.5 points per game.
 
Forwards Isis Fitch and Daija Powell each average at least six rebounds per contest to lead the team while Fitch has logged the highest field goal percentage at .415.
 
Kate Popovec-Goss is in her first season at the helm of the Bradley women's hoops program.
 
Drake leads the all-time series with Bradley by a 66-18 margin including wins in the last four meetings. The Braves' last win in the rivalry came in the championship round of the 2021 Hoops in the Heartland tournament.
 
Scouting Illinois State
Illinois State currently sits atop the Missouri Valley Conference standings with a record of 12-2 in league play and an 18-6 mark overall. The Redbirds have won 11 of their last 12 contests with a loss in their most recent tilt, a 71-66 falter against Missouri State on Feb. 12.
 
The trio of Paige Robinson, DeAnna Wilson, and Mary Crompton have led the MVC leader's offense. All three are averaging double figures including 19.2 ppg for Robinson, 11.9 for Wilson, and 11.5 for Crompton. Both Robinson and Crompton also lead Illinois State in steals while Wilson's 7.5 rebounds per game top the Redbird roster.
 
Kristen Gillespie is in her sixth season leading the Illinois State program. She has logged a 104-67 record as a Redbird and a 209-132 mark in her entire 12-year career.
 
10 games separate Drake and Illinois State in the all-time series between the two teams. The Bulldogs lead the rivalry by a 49-39 margin. Despite Drake's ownership of the series, Illinois State has had more recent success, winning four of the last five meetings.
 
Up Next
Drake will travel to Murray State and Belmont, two newcomers in the MVC, for their final road trip of the year. The Bulldogs will face off at Murray State on Thursday, Feb. 23 before taking on Belmont in Nashville, Tenn. On Saturday, Feb. 25.