The Basics
Drake women's basketball has a tough test ahead of it with road trips to Murray State
and Belmont on the horizon. The Bulldogs dropped back-to-back matchups to both the
Racers and Bruins in Des Moines earlier this season and will be looking for retribution
away from home.
Bulldog Bites
The Bulldogs continued to right the ship with a pair of wins on Des Moines' Hometown Team Weekend. Drake got two consecutive double-doubles from MVC Player of the Week nominee
Katie Dinnebier, who was recently named a Mid-Major Player of the Year Semifinalist, in beating rivals Illinois State and Bradley in the Knapp Center.
Katie Dinnebier has been one of the nation's top distributors this season. She ranks second in the NCAA in total assists with 174 and leads the NCAA with 7.6 assists per game. Dinnebier surpassed the 700-assist mark last weekend becoming the third player in program history to reach that mark. Dinnebier and
Abbie Aalsma have been a dynamic duo from deep range this season. Both sharpshooters are ranked in the top eight of MVC hoops in 3-point percentage with marks of .383 and .425, respectively.
Anna Miller's control of the Bulldogs' all-time blocks record has gotten even stronger. The senior forward currently has 265 career rejections. Miller leads The Valley and is 14th in the NCAA with 52 total blocks, and her average of 2.3 blocks per game is also slotted 14th nationally. Miller now has 935 career rebounds. She is just the 10th player in program history to secure at least 900 rebounds in her career.
Miller and
Courtney Becker have led the Bulldogs rebounding effort to the top of the Missouri Valley Conference stat sheet this year. Those two are among the top six rebounders in the league and pace Drake's MVC-best 938 total boards and 9.4 rebounding margin. Becker is tracking down the 1,000-point mark for her career. The graduate forward currently owns 960 career points and is looking to become the 38th player in program history to reach 1,000 points.
Bulldog Leaders
Katie Dinnebier | 19.9 ppg, 7.6 apg, 4.3 rpg
Anna Miller | 15.2 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 2.3 bpg
Courtney Becker | 9.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.9 apg
Scouting Murray State
Murray State has slipped back towards the MVC pack after leading the league through the first month of conference play. The Racers are 15-6 overall and 9-3 in the conference. The Racers have lost two of their last three contests, both on the road, before bouncing back with a 20-point win over Valpo in their most recent tilt.
Head coach Rechelle Turner is in her eighth season leading the Racers. She has amassed a record of 126-107 at Murray State.
Drake leads its all-time series with Murray State by a 4-1 margin. The Racers' win in Des Moines earlier this season was their first ever over Drake. The Bulldogs are 2-0 when playing in Murray.
Racer Leaders
Katelyn Young | 20.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.8 apg
Halli Poock | 16.2 ppg, 4.7 apg, 2.4 rpg
Haven Ford | 15.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 5.1 apg
Scouting Belmont
The Bruins have pieced together a stellar 2024-25 campaign with records of 16-7 overall and 11-1 in MVC play. Their league mark has them alone atop the conference standings. Belmont is playing as well as anyone in the country with 10 straight wins to its credit. The Bruins' last loss came on Jan. 2 at Missouri State by just two points.
Bart Brooks is also in his eighth year at the helm of his program. Brooks has led the Bruins to 188 wins and 62 losses during his Belmont career.
Drake is 4-2 all-time against Belmont with an even 1-1 record in Nashville. Belmont also took the Dogs down in Des Moines earlier this season.
Bruin Leaders
Jaillyn Banks | 12.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.2 apg
Kendall Holmes | 11.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.0 apg
Kendal Cheesman | 11.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 2.1 apg
Up Next
The Bulldogs will return to Des Moines for their final two home contests of the 2024-25 season. Drake is set to host Southern Illinois (Feb. 20) before celebrating Senior Day vs. Missouri State (Feb. 22) in the Lady Bears' final trip to Des Moines as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.
