DES MOINES, Iowa – The two highest-scoring teams in Missouri Valley Conference women's basketball hooked up at the Knapp Center on Sunday afternoon and the game played out just as might be expected. Points came in bunches on both ends as Drake outlasted Murray State 107-98 to remain unbeaten in conference play.
 
The Bulldogs (14-4, 7-0 MVC) got career games from Grace Berg and Anna Miller and production throughout the lineup in winning for the eighth straight time and remaining perfect in three games with Murray State (12-4, 5-2)
 
"It's a great weekend to be a Bulldog," Suzie Glazer Burt Head Coach Allison Pohlman said after the game. "[That game] was a lot of fun. That was a really good team we took on today and we just took advantage of the opportunity."
 
Berg got the team started by knocking down consecutive three-pointers in the game's first minute and kept it up, finishing with a career-high 30 points. She went 5-for-9 from distance, 7-for-13 overall and sank 11 free throws in 14 tries.
 
Miller scored a career-best 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting and put together a strong line with eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and four blocks, a couple of them on Murray State star Katelyn Young, who led the Racers with 28 points.
 
Katie Dinnebier added 20 points before fouling out with 2 minutes left, giving the Bulldogs three 20-plus scorers for the first time since an 85-73 victory over Iowa State back in November. Dinnebier also grabbed five rebounds, handed out four assists and made two steals.
 
Courtney Becker also came up big in flirting with a triple-double, finishing with 12 points, nine rebounds and career-high eight assists. Taylor McAulay scored eight of her 11 points in the second half and made a key steal in the final minute when the Bulldogs were trying to secure the victory.
 
Ave Hawthorne came through with valuable minutes off the bench, running the team through those tense moments at the end after Dinnebier fouled out. She sank three free throws in the final 39 seconds when Murray State was fouling to get the ball back and ended up with six points and five assists.
 
The victory capped a 3-0 Hometown Team Weekend celebration and came in front of numerous former Drake players who had gathered for Alumni Day. The Bulldogs beat Belmont on Friday night and the men routed Evansville on Saturday night for the trifecta.
 
The weekend games presented an interesting contrast for the Bulldogs. Belmont came in with the league's stingiest defense and Murray State followed with a 91-point scoring average that ranks second nationally. Both victories were well earned.
 
Drake opened the game with Berg's two treys and another by McAulay in jumping to a 9-2 lead. It was the first of three times the Bulldogs led by seven in the opening half, but Murray State always came back and twice led by a point. But that would be the Racers' biggest lead in a game that featured eight lead changes and 10 ties – along with 54 fouls, 32 on Murray State.
 
Dinnebier was knocked to the floor while sinking a three late in the first half and made the free throw for a 47-42 lead. Young answered with a turnaround, leaving the Bulldogs up 47-44 at the half.
 
Drake trailed only once in the second half, at 56-55 with 5:35 left in the third quarter. Dinnebier pulled the Bulldogs back ahead with two free throws, but they couldn't shake the sharping-shooter Racers until the end.
 
The lead was 84-83 when Berg dropped in two free throws to start an 8-3 run that stretched the margin to 92-86 with 3:20 to play. That gave the Bulldogs some breathing room, but Murray State remained a threat down the stretch.
 
A three-pointer drew the Racers to 92-89, but they got no closer. Dinnebier buried a triple from the left wing and the Bulldogs wrapped it up with free throws around a fastbreak layup by Becker that made it 101-93 with 1:28 left.
 
Murray State had a chance to make it a one-possession game in the final minute before McAulay dashed those hopes with a steal. Three Hawthorne freebies and two by Berg finished it off.
 
Murray State shot 59 percent in the first half, but the Racers' shooting fell off late in the game. Drake held them to 36 percent shooting (8-for-22) in the fourth quarter, leaving the Racers at 49.3 percent for the game.
 
Drake shot 53 percent over the final two quarters to finish at 51.6 percent for the game. The Bulldogs hit 14 3-pointers, one short of their season high, after struggling from deep against Belmont.
 
"I thought we handled the press extremely well," Pohlman added. "We had a lot of heady plays from a lot of different players. Taylor McAulay had an excellent second half, Grace Berg showed her overall maturity and growth…what a great weekend."
 
Drake's next three games are on the road, starting with a 6 p.m. contest Thursday at Bradley.
 
 
 
NOTES
 

• Drake won its eighth-straight game – the most during the Allison Pohlman coaching era – to push its record to 14-4 overall and 7-0 in the MVC.
• The Bulldogs earned their fourth-straight home win and are now 9-2 at home this season.
• Today's 107 points are the second most points scored in a game this season by the Bulldogs.
• Drake reached triple figures scoring for the second time this season, first time since a 108-60 victory at North Dakota on Dec. 21. 
• Drake finished 14-29 from beyond the arc, marking the sixth time this season that the Bulldogs made 10 or more three-pointers in a game.
• There were eight lead changes and 10 ties in the game.
• Drake, which led 47-44 at half, improved to 13-1 when leading at halftime this season. 
• 54 total fouls were called in the game (32 on Murray State, 22 on Drake). 
• Drake is 4-2 when playing on Sunday this season.
• This marked the second game of the season that Drake had three 20+ scorers. The last time that occurred was on Nov. 12 in an 85-73 win over Iowa State.
• Anna Miller set a new career-high of 23 points to go along with eight rebounds and four assists.
• Miller matched her season-high of four blocks.
• Courtney Becker dished out a career-high eight assists while scoring 12 points and grabbing nine rebounds in a near triple-double performance.
• Grace Berg scored a career-high 30 points, marking the fifth time this season that she has surpassed 20 points scoring. 
• Berg connected on a career-high five three-point baskets. 
• Katie Dinnebier logged her eighth 20+ scoring game of the season, while hauling in five rebounds and distributing four assists. 
• Taylor McAulay chipped in 11 points and a steal.
• Sophomore guard Ava Hawthorne matched her season high with five assists.
• Drake improved to 3-0 all-time against Murray State.
• The Bulldogs have scored at least 80 points in all three games against the Racers.