AMES, Iowa – Coming off a career best performance in Drake's last time out, senior guard Katie Dinnebier again took the lead for the Bulldogs in their second straight in-state rivalry contest. Dinnebier logged 39 points in a raucous Hilton Coliseum, but the tenacious Bulldogs left Ames empty handed as Iowa State used a last-second score to clip the Dogs, 80-79.
 
Drake jumped out in front after the tip with the first five points of the game including a triple from true freshman Grace Knutson. The Cyclones answered with five straight before Abbie Aalsma came on and buried a three of her own. The Bulldogs led 10-7 at the first media timeout, but Iowa State was able to rally again. The 8th-ranked Cyclones used a 10-0 run to take their first lead of the game at 17-13.
 
Drake fought right back to take an 18-17 advantage after an Ava Hawthorne steal and Katie Dinnebier triple. The back-and-forth action continued as the first period wound to a close. Iowa State led 24-21 after the first 10 minutes.
 
The two teams traded figurative punches throughout the entire second quarter, but Iowa State had the upper hand. Star forward Audi Crooks had a dozen in the period, helping the Cyclones build a 10-point lead. Dinnebier was able to stem the ISU onslaught with another three and Anna Miller added a driving deuce to cut that deficit in half. Dinnebier then added four more on another deep three off glass plus a foul shot.
 
Abbie Aalsma cashed in again with under 10 seconds to play in the period as Drake fought all the way back to trail by just one at the half. Iowa State took a 45-44 lead into the locker room despite a lightning fast 7-0 Drake run in the final 39 seconds.
 
Katie Dinnebier picked up where she left off on the first possession of the second half, swishing another long ball to give the lead back to Drake. Crooks and the Clones answered right back, though, with a 6-0 spurt to swing things toward the hosts. Drake kept things within reach until another Cyclone charge extended the lead back to double figures on the back of Crooks and Addy Brown's interior action.
 
Another Dinnebier heave from beyond the arc sparked a short Bulldog run to trim it back to five. The Waukee product eclipsed the 30-point mark for the second straight game and carried the Bulldogs back to a 67-62 deficit with a quarter to go.
 
Anna Miller started the final quarter with a traditional three-point play to get the Bulldogs within a score. After another Crooks bucket, Dinnebier continued her stellar afternoon with a hoop and harm of her own to make it 69-68 with just over eight minutes remaining. Drake eventually regained the lead at 70-69 on a Courtney Becker hook.
 
Crooks and Dinnebier traded a basket and a free throw as Iowa State led 75-73 with just over 90 seconds left on the clock. Veteran point guard Emily Ryan forced Aalsma to cough it up on Drake's next trip. Ryan proceeded to bounce in a turn-around two to give the Clones a 4-point lead with 30 seconds left and force Suzie Glazer Burt Head Coach Allison Pohlman to take a timeout.
 
Pohlman drew up an inbounds pass for who else but Dinnebier as she faded off a screen and buried her eighth three-pointer of the game which set a new career high and got Drake back within one. Mackenzie Hare split a pair of freebies after the Dogs fouled to get Iowa State into the bonus, drawing another Drake T.O. to advance the ball across into the frontcourt.
 
A solid Iowa State defensive stand caused some commotion for the Bulldogs and prompted Pohlman to burn her last timeout of the day. A perfectly executed play squared the score at 78-all as Miller fed Dinnebier on a smooth backdoor pass. Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly then took his turn advancing the ball with a timeout. The Cyclones lobbed one down to Crooks on the block who turned and banked one in with 0.3 remaining. A desperation inbound was bobbled by the Bulldogs as No. 8 Iowa State escaped with an 80-78 victory.
 
"We gave every last ounce that we possibly had and just came up a little short," Pohlman said after the game. "We just gave them a little bit too much time…great players make great plays and that's what happened down the stretch. We really tried to be strategic with our timing and urgency, they were fantastic of getting position and coming up with scores. It feels like it comes down to one play but if we could've shored a couple things up elsewhere, we could've executed a little better when we needed it."
 
Dinnebier's 39 points led all scorers and marked her fourth career and second straight 30+ point outing. She narrowly missed her career high of 40, which she scored in the Dogs' last time out vs. Iowa. Dinnebier did her damage on 13-of-16 shooting including eight threes, plus five boards and two assists.
 
Anna Miller bounced back with 18 points and matched Courtney Beckers' eight rebounds to lead the Drake effort on the glass. Abbie Aalsma chipped in with 11 including three made triples.
 
Iowa State's Audi Crooks also had a day with 33 points.
 
The Bulldogs will now set their clocks to island time with a three-game stint at the San Juan Shootout in Puerto Rico. Drake will take on Wyoming, Green Bay, and Washington State between Nov. 28-30.

 
NOTES

• Drake, suffering its third straight loss, fell to 2-3.
• There were three ties and 11 lead changes in the game.
• Drake's bench outscored Iowa State's reserves, 14-7.
• The Bulldogs outrebounded ISU 42-31 and outscored the Clones in second chance points, 12-9.
• Iowa State found their advantage in the paint, outscoring Drake 46-26 in the lane.
• Dinnebier's 39 points were the most in a single game since last Sunday when she dropped 40 on Iowa.
• Prior to this season, Dinnebier last scored 30+ in a win at Murray State last year.
• Dinnebier enjoyed her 19th career 20-plus scoring game and fourth career 30-plus scoring game.
• Her eight three-point baskets tied for the second most in a Drake single game and were the most since Kyndal Clark hit 10 vs. Loyola Chicago in 2014.
• Dinnebier's 39 points were the most by a Bulldog vs. a ranked opponent since Lizzy Wendell put 43 on No. 23 Iowa in 2014.
• Dinnebier's two-game stretch also marks the first back-to-back 30-plus scoring efforts since current staff member Becca Hittner went for 37 vs. Missouri State and 30 vs. Southern Illinois during the 2018-19 campaign.Dinnieber moved into No. 22 on the Drake career scoring list with 1,409 points.
• Dinnebier did her damage on 13-of-16 shooting including eight threes, plus five boards and two assists.
• Anna Miller bounced back with 18 points including 6-of-7 free throws.
• Miller matched Courtney Beckers' eight rebounds to lead the Drake effort on the glass.
• Abbie Aalsma chipped in with 11 including three made triples.
• Aalsma went 3-for-6 from beyond the arc and has connected on 2+ three-pointers in every game this season.
• Miller and Courtney Becker each grabbed eight rebounds, tied for the highest individual total in the game.
• Drake is now 30-33 all-time vs. Iowa State and has lost its last 10 meetings in Ames.
• Drake will trade corn fields for sandy beaches as they are set to lace it up for the San Juan Shootout from Nov. 28-30. The Bulldogs will play three games in Puerto Rico.