The Basics
Drake women's basketball is back in Des Moines for its final home contest of the 2024
25 season before hitting the road for a rivalry matchup. The Bulldogs are set to host
Indiana State (Feb. 27) and visit UNI (Mar. 1).
 
Bulldog Bites
The Bulldogs took both games on their latest road trip with a pair of pivotal wins at Murray State and Belmont. Drake's two wins got the Dogs into a tie for second place in the MVC standings.
 
Katie Dinnebier has been one of the nation's top distributors this season. She ranks second in the NCAA in total assists with 201 and leads the NCAA with 7.4 assists per game. Dinnebier has surpassed the 700-assist mark becoming the third player in program history to reach that mark. She is not only one of the most generous players on the court, she also recently received the 2025 Winter State Farm Good Neighbor Award for her academic, athletic, and community impact.
 
Dinnebier and Abbie Aalsma have been a dynamic duo from deep range this season. Both sharpshooters are ranked in the top seven of MVC hoops in 3-point percentage with marks of .395 and .433, respectively.
 
Anna Miller has cemented her status as one of the most prolific defenders in the history of the MVC. The senior forward currently has 270 career rejections. Miller leads The Valley and is 21st in the NCAA with 57 total blocks, and her average of 2.1 blocks per game is also slotted 25th nationally.
 
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 five rebounders in the league and pace Drake's MVC-best 1,083 total boards and 8.9 rebounding margin.
 
Becker scored 11 points in Drake's win over Southern Illinois to eclipse the 1,000-career point mark. She is the 38th player in team history to hit that threshold. Her appearance in Drake's game at Belmont marked her 155th career game as a Bulldog. That start made her the program's all-time leader in games played.
 
Bulldog Leaders
Katie Dinnebier | 21.2 ppg, 7.4 apg, 4.4 rpg
Anna Miller | 14.3 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 2.7 apg
Courtney Becker | 10.4 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 2.0 apg
 
Scouting Indiana State
Indiana State enters the week nestled in a 3-way tie for last in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Sycamores are 4-23 overall and 2-14 in league action and currently riding a 4-game losing streak. Their most recent losses came at UIC and Valparaiso. Thursday will be the only regular season meeting between Drake and Indiana State.
 
Marc Mitchell is in his first year leading the Sycamores and 16th year as a collegiate head coach. Mitchell has built a career record of 263-195.
 
Drake leads its all-time series with Indiana State by a 66-24 margin. Drake has won the last five meetings including a 79-57 win in the MVC Tournament quarterfinals last season. The Bulldogs are looking to add to their 37-6 record when playing the Sycamores in Des Moines.

Sycamore Leaders
Bella Finnegan | 13.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 0.6 bpg
Keslyn Secrist | 12.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 0.9 apg
Chloe Williams | 12.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.7 spg

Scouting UNI
UNI and Drake will rekindle their historic rivalry on Saturday as the calendar turns to March. The Panthers will host Evansville on Thursday night before welcoming the Bulldogs to Cedar Falls. UNI is currently 14-13 overall and 9-7 in Valley action. The Panthers have split their last four games including an 87-51 win over SIU in their most recent tilt.
 
UNI is led by 18th year head coach Tanya Warren and her 336-240 record. Warren's entire head coaching career has been with the Panthers.
 
Drake leads UNI 74-27 in their all-time series. The Bulldogs have won the last four installments including a 69-63 triumph in Des Moines earlier this year and a 92-83 overtime victory in last year's MVC Tournament semifinals. Drake is also 41-9 when playing the Panthers in Des Moines.

Panther Leaders
Maya McDermott | 19.1 ppg, 4.8 apg, 3.3 rpg
Kayba Laube | 12.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.1 apg
Ryley Goebel | 10.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.2 bpg

Up Next
The Bulldogs will conclude their 2024-25 schedule when they visit Valparaiso (Mar. 6) and UIC (Mar. 8).