DES MOINES, Iowa – A huge turnaround in the second half sent the Drake women's basketball team to its sixth straight victory.
 
Courtney Becker made her final nine shots in scoring a career-high 26 points and the Bulldogs outscored UIC 50-25 over the final two quarters in rolling to an 86-53 victory at the Knapp Center on Thursday night. Becker had plenty of help, too. Anna Miller added 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds, Katie Dinnebier scored 16 and handed out nine assists and Abbie Aalsma contributed 10 points.
 
Drake (8-5, 2-0 Missouri Valley Conference) also got major minutes off the bench from Ava Hawthorne, Taedyn Gray, Peyton McCabe and Brooklin Dailey in a game that went from a dogfight in the first half to a decisive victory for the Bulldogs, who won their 18th straight MVC game at the Knapp Center and improved to 7-0 against UIC at home.
 
They did it with a third-quarter scoring burst that became a showcase for Drake's offensive efficiency. Drake went from down two to up 20 in the first 7:07 of the quarter, keyed by scoring runs of 6-0 and 14-0.
 
The Bulldogs shot 81.3 percent in the quarter (13-for-16) and led 66-46 heading into the final period after trailing 38-36 at halftime. The Drake guards, Dinnebier in particular, struggled to break down the UIC defense in the opening half, but it was a different story after that. Dinnebier drove for a layup to start the third-quarter scoring, Becker got a bucker inside, then scored on a fastbreak layup on a pass from Dinnebier. After a UIC basket, the Bulldogs proceeded to rattle off the next 14 points.
 
Dinnebier drove for two straight baskets, then hit Becker for a transition layup. Miller got into the act by putting the ball on the floor and taking it to the hoop to make it 50-40 and force UIC's second timeout of the quarter.
 
When play resumed, Aalsma knocked down a 3-pointer and Becker converted a three-point play to cap a 20-2 run that produced a 56-40 lead.  A UIC basket interrupted the run, but only briefly. Becker buried two straight treys from the left side and it was 62-42 with 2:53 still to play in the quarter. Becker hit yet another three to start the fourth quarter and finished 10-for-16 from the field, including four 3-pointers to match her career high. She made the first basket of the game, a layup, then missed six straight shots before knocking in her final nine.
 
Dinnebier and Ava Hawthorne hit back-to-back treys to stretch the lead to 77-51. The Bulldogs led by 26 two other times down the stretch.
 
Drake, which made 11 of its first 12 shots in that torrid third quarter, shot 77 percent in the second half and 51.5 percent for the game – the third straight time the Bulldogs have made at least half their shots.
 
Miller finished 9-for-12 from the field with a pair of 3-pointers and Aalsma added two 3s in going 4-for-5. After missing seven of nine shots in the first half, Dinnebier went 5-for-7 in the second half and finished with six rebounds and two steals.
 
UIC (4-7, 1-1) broke down the Drake defense often at the outset and shot 51.6 percent in the opening half while outrebounding the Bulldogs 23-18. But the Flames went 3-for-14 with five turnovers in the third quarter and never recovered. Drake ended up with a 37-32 rebounding edge and had assists on 23 of its 35 field goals.
 
"That second half…we talk a lot about details and adjustments," Suzie Glazer Burt Head Coach Allison Pohlman said. "We were just able to start making shots and our offense really inspired our defensive effort. Just so, so proud of our team today. We had some incredible individual performances, Courtney Becker couldn't miss in the second half, and it was awesome to see our team feed off that and keep the momentum going."
  
The Bulldogs will be back in action on Saturday, hosting Valparaiso at 2 p.m.
 
 
NOTES

• Drake, winning a season-best sixth straight game, improves to 8-5 including a 2-0 mark in the Missouri Valley Conference.
• This marks the fifth time during her coaching tenure at Drake, that an Allison Pohlman coached team has enjoyed a six-game winning streak
• Drake posted its 18th straight MVC home victory dating back to the 2022-23 season.
• Drake made 12 three-point baskets, improving its record to 5-3 when marking 10-plus 3-point baskets in a game.
• Drake also collected 23 assists, marking the seventh game (including third straight) the Bulldogs dished out 20-plus assists in a game.
• Drake shot 51.6 percent (35-68) from the floor, marking the third straight game the Bulldogs shot 50 percent or better
• The Bulldogs opened the third quarter making 11 of their first 12 shots and finished the period hitting 81.3 percent making 13 of 16 shots. In a span of 7:07 in the third quarter, Drake went from trailing 38-36 to leading 62-42 
• Drake outrebounded UIC, 37-32, including a 19-9 advantage in the second half.
• There were 10 ties and four lead changes in the game.
• Drake graduate forward Courtney Becker scored a career-high 26 points, finishing the game by making her last nine shots including four beyond the three-point arc.
• Becker made a career high four three-point shots, surpassing her entire season output of three (3-15) entering the game. 
• Drake senior Anna Miller enjoyed her fourth 20-plus scoring game of the season (10th time in career) with 20 points, including 11 in the first quarter.
• Senior guard Katie Dinnebier added 16 points, including 11 in the second half. 
• Dinnebier added a game-high nine assists along with six rebounds.
• Miller grabbed a game-high seven rebounds while blocking two shots. 
• Becker extended her streak to 14 consecutive made free throws
• Drake improved its series record against UIC to 9-2 including a 7-0 mark in Des Moines.