CHICAGO, Ill. – Drake women's basketball put together a red-hot afternoon on Monday to earn its second conference win of the season. The Bulldogs played complementary hoops to douse the Flames of UIC, 78-62, in Chicago.
The Bulldogs raced out to an early 10-2 advantage thanks to an 8-0 run that spanned over two minutes of game play.
Lexi Carlsen and
Abbie Aalsma paced the Dogs' first quarter charge with a traditional 3-point play and deep trey from the wing, respectively. Jessica Carrothers connected on a midrange jumper to halt the Flames' scoreless stretch.
UIC was able to chip away at Drake's lead after the conclusion of the first media timeout, but the visitors' 14-4 rebounding advantage helped the Bulldogs build a 17-13 difference at the end of the first period.
Drake continued its promising start on the first possession of the second quarter as
Grace Knutson capped a perfectly executed offensive set for a short-corner deuce. Knutson proceeded to force a missed lay-up on the other end then went back down and drew a UIC foul.
The Flames were able to trim the Drake lead down again as the second quarter clock kept ticking. A Magdalena Winter bunny dropped the difference to just three points before her post-playing counterpart,
Maggie Taylor, ended her 0-for-4 slump with two straight scores inside.
Winter later nailed a pair of free throws to get UIC back within a point before the Flames forced Drake's ninth turnover of the first half. The two teams then traded leads as Tutu Clayton lofted in a 17-footer and
Ava Hawthorne canned a triple on the other end.
The Bulldogs took a 33-31 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Anna Becker started the second half scoring by rattling in a 3-pointer from the top of the key followed by a Carlsen corner swish, which prompted UIC head coach Ashleen Bracey to burn a timeout.
The Flames responded well out of the break with back-to-back Carrothers connections, but a broken play on Drake's end of the court ended up with another successful three, this time by sharpshooter
Abbie Aalsma. The senior scored on Drake's next trip via an acrobatic up-and-under lay-up an eventually Aalsma added to her hot streak with a step back triple to beat an expiring shot clock.
The Bulldog lead continued to grow throughout the third period, eventually hitting double figures on a
Quinn Vice 2-pointer, making it 49-39 in favor of the Dogs and drawing another UIC timeout.
Drake's defense turned up toward the end of the third, forcing three straight turnovers, which led to three straight buckets. The fast break frenzy gave the Dogs their largest lead of the game up to that point, 55-43, at the end of the third.
The Bulldogs continued to dominate in transition, maintaining a lead around double digits for much of the fourth quarter. Carrothers and the Flames were able to piece some solid stretches together, but Aalsma and
Ava Hawthorne led a lethal perimeter attack for Drake.
Hawthorne sunk Drake's 10th 3-pointer of the afternoon with just under four minutes remaining before Becker sliced through the paint for a well-timed two. Aalsma, who netted a career high 30 point to lead all scorers, provided an early dagger with 2:44 left when she cashed in on another transition triple.
The Bulldogs went on to win by a comfortable 78-62 margin.
"We were able to adjust on the fly, that's what I was most impressed by," Suzie Glazer Burt Head Coach
Allison Pohlman said. "I loved our forwards' decision making against their press. We were focused, we had attention to detail, and I think when we showcase those things this is the kind of team we can be. It makes things a lot easier when the ball goes through the hole, and we had a whole host of people do that today…especially Abbie, who has committed to helping and loving her team."
Aalsma's effort was Drake's first 30-point game since
Katie Dinnebier scored 32 in the same building against UIC last season.
Lexi Carlsen added 13 points, her highest total as a Bulldog.
Elsewhere,
Anna Becker came up just shy of her first collegiate double-double with nine points and nine rebounds while
Ava Hawthorne scored eight points to go along with eight dishes.
The Bulldogs will be back in action this Friday, Jan. 2, when they return to the Knapp Center for their MVC home opener. Drake is set to host Southern Illinois at 6 p.m.
Notes
- With the win, Drake improved to 3-9 overall and 2-0 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
- Drake outrebounded UIC, 36-28.
- Drake made a dozen 3-point shots as a team, marking its highest 3-point total in a single game since making 13 against Illinois State in last year's MVC Tournament first round.
- Drake also posted its best team 3-point percentage (.522) since shooting .556 at UIC in January 2024.
- UIC's 62 points were a single-game season low for Drake opponents.
- Abbie Aalsma scored a career high 30 points along with six assists and four rebounds.
- Aalsma's effort was Drake's first 30-point game since Katie Dinnebier scored 32 in the same building against UIC last season (3/8/25).
- The Bulldogs dished out a season high 29 assists, marking their most distributions in a single game since doling out the same amount at Southern Illinois in 2023.
- Lexi Carlsen added 13 points, her highest total as a Bulldog.
- Anna Becker came up just shy of her first collegiate double-double with nine points and nine rebounds
- Ava Hawthorne scored eight points to go along with eight dishes.
- Drake has now won five straight against UIC and leads the all-time series by an 11-2 margin.
