The Basics
Drake women's basketball got back on track with a mid-week MVC win at Indiana State and is looking to keep things moving in the right direction. The Bulldogs will host Minnesota for their final non-conference (Dec. 21) bout before returning to Valley action for the remainder of the year with a trip to UIC (Dec. 29).
Bulldog Breakdown
With their last win at Indiana State, the Bulldogs snapped an 8-game losing streak, which was their longest such drought since dropping the same number of consecutive games in the 2006-07 season.
Drake logged two 30-plus point periods in its win over Indiana State including a 34-point third quarter, marking the Bulldogs' most prolific quarter of the season. Drake poured in a season best 97 points in its win at Indiana State. It was the Dogs' highest-scoring effort since dropping 107 against the same Sycamores in Des Moines last year.
The Bulldogs lead the Missouri Valley Conference with 174 total assists and top the conference with 17.4 assists per game. Drake also has the fourth best
rebounding team in the MVC and proved it in Terre Haute with 50 team boards, matching their single-game high from the season opener at Eastern Illinois.
Minnesota is the fourth power conference opponent on Drake's schedule this season. The Bulldogs are 0-3 this year against Iowa, Iowa State, and Arkansas. Drake is 4-15 against power league foes over the last five seasons.
Bulldog Leaders
Abbie Aalsma | 15.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.1 pg
Grace Knutson | 13.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.1 apg
Maggie Taylor | 8.7 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.1 apg
Scouting Minnesota
Minnesota is 8-3 overall and 0-1 in Big Ten play ahead of this weekend's battle in Des Moines. Most recently, Gophers took down Alabama A&M and Wyoming in a pair of blowout home wins after suffering an improbable double O.T. loss to Maryland in the game prior.
Drake leads its all-time series with Minnesota by a 10-7 mark. The Gophers won the last meeting, a 2023 double overtime thriller in Minneapolis, after Drake won two contests in a row.
Head coach Dawn Plitzuweit is in her third season leading the Golden Gophers and has a 53-30 record during her time at Minnesota. Plitzuweit is 418-171 overall during her 19 year head coaching tenure including other stops at South Dakota, Grand Valley State, Northern Kentucky, and West Virginia.
Key Players
Tori McKinney | 13.7 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.3 spg
Grace Grocholski | 12.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 3.3 apg
Mara Braun | 10.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.2 apg
Scouting UIC
UIC currently sits just above .500 with a 6-5 overall record while riding a 2-game winning streak. The Flames recently beat cross-town rival DePaul after opening MVC play with a romp over Valparaiso. UIC is set for a Dec. 20 tilt versus Austin Peay to close its non-league slate before welcoming Drake to the Windy City.
Drake is 10-2 all-time against UIC. The Bulldogs have won the last four meetings since UIC earned a 64-52 result in 2023. The Flames' only other win came in Chicago in 2011.
Ashleen Bracey has done a solid job leading the UIC women's hoops program for the last four years. She is 58-56 as the Flames' head coach.
Key Players
Jessica Carrothers | 18.1 ppg, 4.3 apg, 3.4 rpg
Julia Coleman | 15.5 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.9 spg
TuTu Clayton | 7.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.5 apg
Up Next
Drake will continue its MVC schedule after the holidays with a home battle against Southern Illinois on Friday, Jan. 2. The Bulldogs and Salukis will tip things off at 6 p.m. in the Knapp Center.
