MOLINE, Ill. – The Drake University women's basketball team won their fourth-straight game in a 74-54 blowout over No. 1 seed and MVC regular season co-champion Illinois State (24-8, 17-3). With the win, the Bulldogs (21-9, 14-6) advanced to the MVC Tournament finals for the 16th time in program history.
 
Maggie Bair led the Bulldogs in scoring again with 19 points and also grabbed 10 rebounds to lead all players and complete her 12th double-double of the season.
 
Grace Berg and Courtney Becker also added double figure nights with 16 points and 13 points, respectively. Becker also collected eight boards while Berg had seven. Katie Dinnebier logged double-digit assists for the second time this season with 10 to lead all players.
 
All-MVC players Paige Robinson, the league's Player of the Year, and Kate Bullman got the Redbirds out in front early with two free throws apiece. After taking a few possessions to settle in, Drake countered with a 13-4 run including three-pointers from Anna Miller and Courtney Becker.
 
The Bulldogs continued their offensive explosion through the end of the first period behind 10 early points from Maggie Bair and three made three-pointers to lead 22-9 after one.
 
Drake maintained their momentum in the second quarter, shooting their way to a 31-13 lead, their largest of the first half. Taylor McAulay buried a triple with 5:50 remaining in the stanza to reach that tally and force an Illinois State timeout.
 
The Redbirds were able to slow Drake's attack down towards the end of the half, but the Bulldogs still held a 39-24 halftime advantage.
 
Drake came out firing to start the second half as Katie Dinnebier finished off an and-one opportunity within the first 30 seconds of the third quarter. Later, Maggie Bair picked up her third foul which led to an Illinois State score, but Becker countered with her third triple of the afternoon.
 
The Bulldogs never trailed by less than 11 in the third and took an 18-point advantage into the final frame.
 
Illinois State chipped away at the Bulldogs' lead early in the fourth, putting together a 6-0 run. McAulay eventually halted the Redbirds' rally with a pair of free throws, giving Drake a 65-46 lead with 6:21 remaining.
 
The Redbirds never seriously challenged Drake down the stretch as the Bulldogs were able to empty the bench and secure the 74-54 win, the largest margin of victory over a No. 1 seed in MVC Tournament history.
 
"We're playing in March…yesterday we're taking in the sights and sounds of the court and Hoops in the Heartland and today our approach was just to be exactly who we are," Suzie Glazer Burt Head Coach Allison Pohlman said after the game. "I couldn't be happier with our team with how they played defensively. We shot the ball, and that's what we do. We got comfortable yesterday and took advantage of that by knocking down shots today."
 
Tomorrow's championship game will feature Drake and the No. 2 seed Belmont Bruins. The Bulldogs and Bruins will tip off at 1 p.m. from Moline on ESPNU with a trip to the NCAA Tournament on the line.
 
 
TEAM NOTES

• Drake, winning its fourth-straight game, improved its record to 21-9 overall, marking the 18th time in program history the Bulldogs have won 21 or more games in a season including six of the last eight years.
• Drake advanced to the MVC Tournament championship for the 16th time in program history while improving its record in MVC Tournament games to 48-21.
• Drake is now 3-4 as the No. 4 seed and 6-2 vs. Illinois State in the league tournament.
• The 20-point differential is the largest margin of victory over the No. 1 seed in MVC Tournament history.
• 20 of Drake's 21 wins have come by double digits.
• The Bulldogs are now 13-3 in Moline, the most wins the MVC Tournament play since the event has been hosted in the Quad Cities.
• Drake outrebounded Illinois State 43-35 and are now 20-6 when outrebounding their opponent.
• Drake is now 4-0 in the month of March.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

• Maggie Bair enjoyed her 12th double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds, both game highs.
• Bair also led all scorers at the half with 13 points in the first two quarters.
• Grace Berg scored 16 points including three triples. It marked the third time she has made three or more treys in a game this season.
• Courtney Becker came off the bench and scored 13 points including a perfect 3-for-3 from three.
• Becker's three deep balls were her most in a game this season.
• Sophomore guard Katie Dinnebier just missed her second double-double of the year with nine points and 10 assists. She scored seven of her nine points in the third quarter.
• Dinnebier has been a flawless 9-for-9 from the charity stripe in the MVC Tournament to extend her consecutive free throw streak to 26.
• Anna Miller also scored nine points while blocking a game-high three shots. She moved into a tie with Haley Sames (1997-98) for eighth on the school's single-season blocked shots list with 48.

THE SERIES

• Drake has now won two-straight games over Illinois State and improved its lead in the series to 51-39 including a 6-1 mark in neutral site games.
• Illinois State's two worst losses of the season have occurred at the hands of Drake: 83-67 in Des Moines on Feb. 18 and 74-54 today.