NORMAL, Ill. – Drake women's basketball kept its hot streak alive with another road win on Sunday afternoon. The Bulldogs used a balanced effort to upend Illinois State, 85-64, for their ninth straight victory.
The Redbirds drew first blood, but Drake (11-5, 5-0) was able to answer with a Shannon Fornshell triple from the corner in front of the Illinois State bench. Fornshell scored again a couple possessions later, this time on the inside following a Katie Dinnebier dish. Dinnebier then took her turn scoring four straight with a pair of free throws and contested two in the paint.
 
The duo of Dinnebier and Fornshell continued their hot start with another 3-pointer apiece. That tandem netted Drake's first 15 points of the afternoon before Ava Hawthorne joined the party with a triple of her own to force an Illinois State (9-7, 3-2) timeout.
 
Drake scored right out of the break, this time on a curling Abbie Aalsma layup trailing a Taedyn Gray assist. Illinois State was able to regroup as the first quarter progressed, but Dinnebier came through at the horn. She banked in a turnaround jumper as the opening 10 minutes expired, giving the Bulldogs a 28-21 lead after one.
 
Drake's lead got back into double figures in the second quarter when Courtney Becker punctuated a patient Bulldog possession with a three from the top of the key. That score made it 33-23 in favor of the visitors. That lead continued to grow as Illinois State sunk into a scoring drought.
 
The Bulldogs kept their foot on the gas as the second quarter wound to a conclusion. With the help of a couple late scores from Anna Miller and Brooklin Dailey in transition, Drake took a 48-32 lead into the half.
 
The Bulldogs got two more fastbreak scores to kickstart the second half, but Illinois State also emerged recharged after the pause. Star guard Shannon Dowell, who sat much of the first half with two fouls, did her best to catapult the Redbirds back in it. Dowell's efforts did not produce many short-term results for Illinois State as Drake's advantage inflated to 20 points midway through the third.
 
Drake leaned on Becker down the third quarter home stretch and took advantage of multiple mismatches on the interior. The Redbirds then shifted into a zone defense that got the Bulldog offense off-kilter. ISU used their zone, and a Trista Fayte halfcourt heave at the buzzer, to slice into Drake's lead a bit as the Dogs led 65-50 after three full periods.
 
The fourth quarter started with four straight empty possessions on both ends of the floor. The Redbirds halted that cold stretch with a short-corner jumper, and Ava Hawthorne answered with another 3-pointer.
 
Illinois State's comeback quest was halted in the final period as Drake's offense continued to click. The Bulldogs cruised to their ninth straight win, 19th straight Valley dub, and a 5-0 MVC start with an 85-64 result.
 
"There are a lot of things to be proud of, a lot of great performances," Suzie Glazer Burt Head Coach Allison Pohlman said. "It really is tough to come in and win here. We had the sense that our group was going to do everything the needed to do to leave with a win. Everybody that stepped on the floor today had huge contributions from top to bottom."
 
Katie Dinnebier led Drake's balanced scoring attack with 18 points. She added 12 assists to her third double-double of the season and snared six rebounds.
Shannon Fornshell rounded out Drake's double-figure scorers with 10 points, all of which came in the first half.
 
Elsewhere, Anna Miller netted 13 points and 10 rebounds while Courtney Becker and Ava Hawthorne each notched 11 points. Becker posted a game high 12 rebounds.
Becker and Miller each logged their fifth double-doubles of the year. It was also Becker's second straight double-double. Guard Abbie Aalsma scored 12 points and dished out four assists in her return to Normal. The Waupun, Wis. native spent the last two seasons playing for the Redbirds before transferring to Drake
 
The Bulldogs will return to Des Moines for their next two outings against Belmont (Jan. 16) and Murray State (Jan. 18). Drake's matchup with the Racers will serve as their annual Pink Game.
 
 
NOTES

• Drake, winning a season-best ninth straight game, improves to 11-5 including a 5-0 mark in the Missouri Valley Conference.
• This marked the third time during Allison Pohlman's coaching career that Drake has won eight straight games
• Drake posted its 19th straight MVC victory (including postseason play).
• The Bulldogs went 11-for-12 from the free throw stripe on Sunday, marking their single game best free throw percentage of the year.
• Drake's 45 total rebounds were the third most in a single game this year. The Dogs also snagged 33 defensive boards, tied for the second most in a single contest this season.
• The Drake offense produced a single game season high of 26 assists.
• Katie Dinnebier led Drake's balanced scoring attack with 18 points. She added 12 assists to her third double-double of the season and snared six rebounds.
• Shannon Fornshell rounded out Drake's double-figure scorers with 10 points, all of which came in the first half.
• Dinnebier and Shannon Fornshell combined to score Drake's first 15 points of the game.
• Elsewhere, Anna Miller netted 13 points and 10 rebounds while Courtney Becker and Ava Hawthorne each notched 11 points. Becker posted a game high 12 rebounds.
• Becker and Miller each logged their fifth double-doubles of the year. It was also Becker's second straight double-double.
• Guard Abbie Aalsma scored 12 points and dished out four assists in her return to Normal. The Waupun, Wis. native spent the last two seasons playing for the Redbirds before transferring to Drake.
• Drake, winning its second straight game against the Redbirds, improved its series record against Illinois State to 53-40. The win snapped a 5-game losing streak vs. Illinois State dating back to 2020.