EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Drake started strong, finished even stronger, and took another step in its bid to win a third consecutive championship in the Credit Union 1 Missouri Valley Conference Women's Basketball Tournament.
 
Katie Dinnebier scored 22 points, Anna Miller scored all her 21 in the second half and the fourth-seeded Bulldogs overcame some costly turnovers to beat No. 5 seed Illinois State 75-69 in a quarterfinal game full of big shots and momentum swings at the Ford Center on Friday.
 
"I'm so pleased with our maturity down the stretch," said Suzie Glazer Burt Head Coach Allison Pohlman. "To finish this one out against a very good Illinois State team is a testament to our attitude. [We] got a number of contributions but had an amazing defensive effort getting consecutive stops in the fourth quarter. We're happy March madness is giving us another day here in Evansville."
Drake (22-10) led by 11 in the first half, trailed by five with less than 4 minutes to play, then scored 13 of the game's last 15 points to earn a spot in the semifinals against top-seeded Murray State at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. The Bulldogs and Racers split their regular-season games, each winning on the other's floor.
 
Illinois State (21-12) got a career-high 30 points from sophomore Shannon Dowell but could not hold off Drake's surge at the end, which started with Dinnebier banking in a long 3-pointer at the shot clock buzzer to cut the lead to 67-65.
 
Miller followed with six straight points, including her career-best fourth 3-pointer of the game, and the Bulldogs wrapped it up with two free throws from Courtney Becker and two more from Dinnebier, the league's Jackie Stiles Player of the Year. Illinois State managed only two free throws after Addison Martin's jump shot gave the Redbirds a 67-62 lead with 3:32 left.
 
Miller's hook shot at the buzzer lifted Drake past Missouri State in last year's championship game. This time, the 6-foot-3 senior hit the big shots from the perimeter, going 4-for-5 from deep and grabbing 10 rebounds for her 10th double-double of the season.
 
Becker added 12 points on 5-for-6 shooting and Shannon Fornshell delivered seven points and nine rebounds, for the Bulldogs, who turned it over 16 times, leading to a 17-0 edge in points off turnovers for Illinois State. Drake overcame that by hitting 13 3-pointers – the 17th time this season the Bulldogs made at least 10 – and a 43-27 rebounding advantage.
 
Dowell, who scored 23 in a first-round victory over Southern Illinois, gave the Bulldogs fits by driving past defenders to the basket and then making the shot, getting fouled or both. She finished 10-of-21 from the field and sank 10 of 11 free throws after going 11-for-11 at the line on Thursday. Martin finished with 15 points and seven rebounds, while Maya Wong hit three 3-pointers and scored 10 points.
 
Dinnebier became the seventh player in Drake history and 12th in the MVC to score 2,000 points, running her total 2,108. With four assists Friday she hiked her total to 770, which moves to No. 2 on Drake's career list.
 
Miller is now the sixth player in Drake history and fifth in the Valley with 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds. Her totals now stand at 1,512 and 1,008.
 
Drake made four of its first five shots in jumping to a 10-3 lead and used a 14-2 run that included four 3-pointers to go up 30-19. Illinois State then finished the first half with a 12-3 run to trail 33-31 at the break.
 
Nine straight Redbird points lifted them into a 42-39 lead in the third quarter, but the Bulldogs answered again, getting 3-pointers from Miller and Abbie Aalsma and two free throws from Dinnebier to go up 52-48.
 
Illinois State regained the momentum and was leading 65-62 when Dinnebier's layup spun out. Seconds later, Martin knocked down her shot that put the Redbirds up by five and Drake's hopes seemed to fade. Then Dinnebier connected on the hurried 3 to beat the shot clock and it provided the spark the Bulldogs needed to finish it off.
 
 
NOTES

• Drake improved to 22-10 overall on the season.
• Drake is now 2-2 when playing on a neutral court this season.
• Drake shot 45.1 percent (23-51) from the field, improving to 17-2 when shooting 45 percent or better this season.
• Drake outrebounded Illinois State 43-27.
• The Bulldogs' bench outscored Illinois State's reserves 7-3.
• Drake also outscored the Redbirds 9-6 on second chances.
• Katie Dinnebier led Drake in scoring with 22 points on 6-of-19 shooting from the field, 4-of-10 shooting from 3-point range, and a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe.
• Dinnebier became the seventh player in Drake history and 12th in the MVC to score 2,000 points, running her total 2,108. With four assists Friday she hiked her total to 770, which moves to No. 2 on Drake's career list.
• Anna Miller added 21 points and 10 rebounds with a career high four made triples.
• Miller is now the sixth player in Drake history and fifth in the Valley with 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds. Her totals now stand at 1,512 and 1,008.
• Thursday marked Miller's 10th double-double of the year.
• Courtney Becker reached double figures with 12 points.
• Shannon Fornshell scored seven points and grabbed career-high-tying nine rebounds.
• The Bulldogs are now 8-1 in MVC Tournament play under Suzie Glazer Burt Head Coach Allison Pohlman. Drake has won its last six MVC tournament contests dating back to the 2022-23 season.
• Drake is now 53-21 all-time in MVC Tournament action including records of 25-8 in the quarterfinals, 5-4 as the fourth seed, and 7-2 against Illinois State.
• Drake is 55-40 all-time against Illinois State with wins in the last four meetings.