CHICAGO, Ill. – Drake women's basketball extended their current winning streak to six games to tie the longest run of the Allison Pohlman era with an 82-62 win at UIC. The Bulldogs (12-4, 5-0) got double-digit outings from four players as Des Moines' hometown team controlled the Flames (8-7, 1-3).
 
Both teams traded baskets to open the scoring before Grace Berg buried a three give Drake a slight early edge. The Bulldogs forced another UIC miss before Taylor McAulay sunk a triple of her own.
 
Drake's strong start prompted an early 11-0 run as back-to-back-to-back defensive stops resulted in a Katie Dinnebier three-pointer followed by a dribble drive score from Berg. The Bulldogs rattled off 11-unanswered to build an early 13-2 lead and force a UIC timeout.
 
Anna Brown joined in on the three-point barrage after UIC bucket with a make in transition to extend Drake's lead to 18-4. The Flames were able to ramp up their pressure as the first quarter wound to a close, but the Bulldogs owned the period, 20-12.
 
McAulay added her second score to start the second period on a smooth turnaround J. The Bulldogs lost their rhythm a bit in the second frame as Danyel Middleton scored five-straight for UIC to trim the difference to just five. The visting Bulldogs' lead bloomed back into double figures when Shannon Fornshell splashed in a three, Drake's fifth of the first half.
 
Drake carried a 40-27 lead into the half.
 
The Bulldogs stuck to the script in the early stages of the second half, building their lead above the 15-point threshold as both Berg and McAulay reached double digits in the scoring column. UIC provided some resistance as the period progressed, holding Drake to just 14 points in the period, but the Dogs maintained their advantage with a 54-40 lead after three.
 
McAulay made another big play to start the final stanza, corralling an offensive rebound and firing across her body to an open Anna Brown for a three to beat the shot clock. The sharpshooting Brown made multiple threes in a game for the sixth time this year. McAulay and Berg then went back-to-back from deep range to give Drake a 63-41 lead, their largest of the game up to that point.
 
The Bulldogs cruised down the stretch with 28 points in the fourth quarter for their highest-scoring period of the afternoon as Drake secured the 82-62 victory to remain undefeated in Missouri Valley Conference play.
 
Four Bulldogs scored in double figures led by Grace Berg with 17 and Taylor McAulay with 15. Katie Dinnebier added 11 while Anna Miller chipped in with 10.
 
"Overall, I'm extremely proud of our entire team and staff," Suzie Glazer Burt Head Coach Allison Pohlman said. "[UIC] didn't play on Friday and this is a very good UIC team, so we didn't know [exactly what to expect]. I wish we closed the fourth quarter a little better and we'd like to have a few things back here and there, but it was great to come on the road, finish this road trip, and perform how we did."
 
The Bulldogs will return home for their annual DSM Hometown Team weekend with a pair of big games in MVC play. Drake will welcome Belmont to the Knapp Center on Friday, Jan. 19 before hosting Murray State on Sunday, Jan. 21.
 
NOTES
 

• Drake, earning its sixth-straight victory, improved its record to 12-4 overall and 5-0 in MVC play.
• Their six-game winning streak ties the longest of the Allison Pohlman era.
• The win improved Drake's current streak to six-straight victories and added to the Bulldogs' best start in conference play in five years.
• 33 of Drake's last 37 wins have been in double-figures including all 12 victories during the 2023-24 campaign.
• Drake, which ranks 10th in the NCAA and leads the MVC in field goal percentage (.492), shot exactly 60 percent (30-50) from the floor. It was their best shooting perrormance of the season and first 60+ percent showing since going 63.5 percent from the field vs. Southern Illinois in Feb. 2020.
• The Bulldogs again shot well from the free throw line, going 12-13 for a 90.9 percent performance. Their free throw numbers rank 10th nationally.
• Sunday also marked the Bulldogs' second-best three-point shooting game of the season, making 10 of 18 attempts for a 55.6 percent rate.
• All 13 active Bulldogs checked in to Sunday's game.
• Four Bulldogs scored in double figures led by Grace Berg with 17 and Taylor McAulay with 15. Katie Dinnebier added 11 while Anna Miller chipped in with 10.
• Dinnebier's 11-point, 14-assist performance was enough for her second double-double of the year and the third of her career.
• McAulay's output marked the second-highest scoring total of her season behind her career-high 27-point game vs. Iowa State in November.
• Anna Miller logged her sixth double-double of the season and second in a row with 10 points and 14 rebounds.
• Drake improved its series record against the Flames to 7-2.