VALPARAISO, Ind. – Drake women's basketball entered the week in a 3-way tie atop the Missouri Valley Conference standings but suffered a setback on the road on Thursday night. The Bulldogs let a 20-point second half lead slip away as the Beacons of Valparaiso stormed back to win, 66-65.
 
The Bulldogs trudged through a sloppy start as Valpo (13-17, 9-10) built an early lead. The Beacons led 14-5 at the first media timeout thanks to a balanced offense and a disruptive defensive effort.
 
Drake (20-10, 14-5) was able to chip away at the Beacons' lead as the first period wound to a close with Courtney Becker, who had all six of her points in the opening stanza, banking one in with four seconds on the clock. Valpo led 20-15 after the first 10 minutes of action.
 
Katie Dinnebier scored the first five points of the second period to even the tally at 20-all as the pace continued at a noticeable tempo. Valpo answered by forcing two straight Drake turnovers on the Dogs' next two possessions. The Beacons were able to cash in via a Leah Earnest triple and Maci Rhoades fast break bucket to regain the lead for the hosts.
 
The Bulldogs then proceeded to completely flip things back in their own direction with an 11-0 spurt over two minutes of game play. That run gave Drake a 31-24 lead and forced Valpo head coach Mary Evans to spend a timeout and pause the Bulldogs' onslaught.
 
Freshman Peyton McCabe joined the party after the T.O. with a 3-pointer from the wing to extend Drake's lead into double figures. The Bulldogs finished the first half on a 15-0 rally, outscoring Valparaiso 20-4 in the second quarter, and led 35-24 at the break.
 
Drake added to its run to start the second half with two straight bunnies from Dinnebier and Anna Miller. Valpo finally halted its cold streak with a Rhoades 3-pointer, but Abbie Aalsma answered on the other end as Drake's lead grew to 15, and eventually 20 with roughly six minutes to go in the period.
 
The two teams went back-and-forth for much of the third quarter Valpo was able to regain some of its rhythm. Ava Hawthorne and Shannon Fornshell each splashed in a 3-pointer with just under two minutes left in the period to help keep Drake's advantage intact. Rhoades hit her second three of the night later in the frame to trim the margin to 10, but a Fiona Connolly charging foul gave it right back to the Bulldogs as Drake carried a 53-43 lead into the final quarter.
 
Valpo hung with Drake the rest of the way, chopping the Bulldog lead to just seven after an old fashioned 3-point play by Nevaeh Jackson. After Dinnebier deuce, Rhoades struck again from deep to continue the Valpo comeback effort. Now trailing by just six, the Beacons proceeded to turn up the pressure defensively and keep the Bulldogs off the board for nearly three minutes. Dinnebier was able to sink two free throws, but the Beacons still owned the momentum.
 
The Bulldogs offense could not heat up as Drake again went scoreless for upwards of two minutes. Earnest connected on two freebies of her own as the margin shrank to just four points with 90 seconds on the clock. Layla Gold then put one up and in on a fast break opportunity to make it a 1-possession game with just under a minute remaining. Gold was fouled on the Beacons' next trip and made two free throws of her own to tie the game at 64 apiece.
 
With the shot clock now off, Drake advanced the ball across the halfcourt stripe with a chance to take the lead. Shannon Fornshell was fouled chasing down a loose ball and split a pair of free throws and put the Bulldogs on top by one.
 
Evans called the Beacons' final timeout after the make to move the ball to their end of the hardwood with 2.9 seconds on the clock. Valpo inbounded to their veteran leader Earnest who was fouled by McCabe. She hit both to give the Beacons a 66-65 lead.
 
Drake was able to get the ball into Dinnebier near the elbow, but her jumper missed long, and time expired. Valpo outscored Drake 23-12 in the final period on their way to a 66-65 upset victory in comeback fashion.
 
"Valpo really took it to us," said Suzie Glazer Burt Head Coach Allison Pohlman. "We didn't have an answer for Leah Earnest, she got downhill all night. We had energy in spurts, did a nice job to get up going into halftime, but they took us out of what we like to do and played extremely physical. This is what the Missouri Valley Conference. Players step up and make plays everywhere, so our focus was just off and that's on coaching. Another opportunity coming up…we have to have our group a lot more ready to go."
 
Katie Dinnebier scored 30 points on 11-of-24 shooting including 3-of-9 from 3-point range and 5-of-7 from the charity stripe while collecting five steals, five rebounds, and dishing out four assists. It marked her 10th 30-plus point game of the year, the most in Division I hoops.
 
Courtney Becker, Abbie Aalsma, Anna Miller, Shannon Fornshell, and Ava Hawthorne all scored six points apiece for the Dogs. Becker led Drake on the glass with 12 rebounds while Miller snared eight.
 
Drake will finish their 2024-25 regular season schedule on Saturday with a trip to the Windy City. The Bulldogs are set for a date with UIC at 2 p.m. in Chicago.
 
 
NOTES

• Drake dropped to 20-10 overall including a 14-5 record in the Missouri Valley Conference.
• Drake is now 9-4 in road games this season with one more on remaining.
• Drake shot just 39.7 percent (25-63) from the field on Thursday night, their second-lowest FG rate in league play this season.
• Drake's 65 points were its lowest in a game since an 81-59 defeat vs. Murray State on Jan. 18.
• Drake owned the rebounding battle 37-27.
• The Bulldogs outscored Valpo on second-chance opportunities 14-1 and 34-20 in the paint,
• Katie Dinnebier scored 30 points on 11-of-24 shooting including 3-of-9 from 3-point range and 5-of-7 from the charity stripe while collecting five steals, five rebounds, and dishing out four assists.
• It marked her 10th 30-plus point game of the year, the most in Division I hoops.
• Courtney Becker, Abbie Aalsma, Anna Miller, Shannon Fornshell, and Ava Hawthorne all scored six points apiece for the Dogs.
• Becker led Drake on the glass with 12 rebounds while Miller snared eight.
• The loss snapped a 5-game winning streak against Valpo. The Bulldogs are now 18-3 vs. the Beacons with all three losses coming in Valparaiso.