The Basics
The Drake women's basketball team is set for their final road trip of the 2022-23 regular season. The Bulldogs will look to complete a pair of season sweeps when they visit Murray State on Thursday, Feb. 23 and Belmont on Saturday, Feb. 25.
 
Point Guard on Point
Drake point guard Katie Dinnebier continues to orchestrate the Bulldog offense and lead the perimeter of Drake's defense. The West Des Moines native is one of three double-digit scorers for the Bulldogs while leading the MVC in assists and the team in free throw percentage and steals.
 
Marvelous Miss Maggie
Maggie Bair has been the catalyst for the Bulldogs' success this season. The senior forward is leading Drake in scoring, rebounding, and shooting efficiency.
 
Bair garnered another Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week nomination after posting back-to-back double-doubles in two-straight wins over Bradley (2/16) and Illinois State (2/18). She averaged 15 points and 14.5 rebounds in Drake's two most recent victories.
 
Enter Anna Miller
Sophomore forward Anna Miller has starred in a reserve role for the Bulldogs this season but was inserted into the starting lineup in their last game. Miller led all scorers with 18 points in her first start of the season and third of her collegiate career against league-leading Illinois State (2/18).
 
Amazing Grace
Grace Berg's storied career has continued throughout her senior season as the team's second-leading scorer and second-most efficient shooter from the field, three-point line, and free throw stripe.
 
Owning the Boards
Drake continues to clean up on the defensive glass with 32.9 defensive rebounds per game. The Bulldogs' numbers on the boards ranks first in all of Division I hoops.
 
Receiving Mid-Major Votes
The Bulldogs have been in-and-out of the CollegeInsider.com Women's Mid-Major Top 25 rankings all season. In the most recent installment of the poll on Feb. 14, Drake fell outside the top 25 but received 33 votes.
 
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 9-0 when committing the same amount or fewer turnovers compared to their opponents.
 
Sixty Marks the Spot
When holding teams to 60 points or less, the Bulldogs are a stellar 10-1.
 
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 15-3 in games decided by doubles digits and 0-4 in games decided by 10 points or less. All 11 of Drake's MVC wins have been by at least 12 points.
 
Team Stats Leaders
As a team, Drake ranks in the national top 10 of these statistical categories:

• Def. reb./game - 1st - 32.9
• Assists/game - 3rd - 20.6
• Blocks/game - 5th - 5.8
• Rebounds/game - 7th - 44.3
• Rebounding margin - 7th - 10.8 

Scouting Murray State
Murray State enters the second-to-last week of the 2022-23 regular season in the middle of the MVC standings. The Racers are currently 13-12 overall and 6-10 in league play with wins in two of their last three games. Murray State is coming off an 83-69 win at Southern Illinois in their most recent contest.
 
The Racers are led by superstar forward Katelyn Young, a four-time MVC Player of the Week honoree. Young leads the team and the conference in scoring with 22.0 points per game on a .523 field goal percentage. She also leads the Racers on the glass with 8.3 boards per game.
 
Elsewhere, Macey Turley has been lethal from range with a team-high .413 three-point percentage while also leading the Racers in assists (3.3 apg) and steals (1.1 spg).
 
Rechelle Turner is in her sixth season leading the Murray State women's basketball program. Turner has posted a record of 89-85 during her tenure as a Racer.
 
This season's earlier matchup between Drake and Murray State was the first-ever meeting between both squads. Drake won the game in Des Moines by an 80-67 score on Jan. 8.
 
Scouting Belmont
Drake will conclude their final road trip of the regular season with a trip to Nashville, Tenn. and a matchup with the Belmont Bruins. Belmont brings an overall record of 17-10 and a 13-3 mark in MVC play. The Bruins have won their last 10 games and will host UNI on Thursday, Feb. 23 before facing off against Drake.
 
Preseason MVC Player of the Year Destinee Wells has met those expectations this season as the Bruins' leader in scoring, free throw shooting, assists, and steals. Wells has poured in 17.1 points per game. The other half of Belmont's two-headed monster, Madison Bartley, also averages double figures with 14.1 points per game.
 
Belmont head coach Bart Brooks has had a stellar career as the Bruins' leader. In his six seasons at the helm, Brooks has coached the Bruins to a 140-44 record.
 
Drake and Belmont's matchup earlier this season was also the first-ever between the two teams. Drake blew out the Bruins 94-63 in Des Moines on Jan. 6.
 
Up Next
The Bulldogs will return home for the final two-game stretch of the regular season. Drake will host Missouri State on Thursday, Mar. 2 before welcoming Southern Illinois on Saturday, Mar. 4 for Senior Day.