The Basics
The Bulldog women are riding a 2-game winning streak after beating UIC on the road and returning to Des Moines for a victory over Southern Illinois in their MVC home debut. Drake is now set for a challenging road trip to Belmont (Jan. 9) and Murray State (Jan. 11).
 
Bulldog Breakdown
Drake improved to 3-0 in MVC play with a gutsy 89-75 win over SIU in their last contest.
 
After posting a career best 30 points vs. UIC and another 29 against SIU, Abbie Aalsma was named Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week. Aalsma ranks fourth in The Valley with a 3-point percentage of .347. She has made 34 triples in 98 attempts.
 
As a team, Drake is second in the MVC with a team field goal percentage of .423 (330-780).
 
The Bulldogs also rank second in the league with a rebounding margin of 4.2. They also keep opponents off the boards at the best reate in the conference with rivals averaging 35.3 rebounds per game.
 
Drake is also second in the Missouri Valley Conference with 239 total assists and top the conference with 18.4 assists per game. Drake also boasts the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the league at 1.09. Ava Hawthorne leads the Bulldog team and ranks 11th in the Missouri Valley Conference with an average of 3.3 assists per game.
 
Key Players
Abbie Aalsma | 16.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.3 pg
Grace Knutson | 11.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.0 apg
Maggie Taylor | 8.6 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.7 apg
 
Scouting Belmont
Belmont enters the weekend an 8-7 overall and 4-0 in Missouri Valley Conference play. The Bruins have won their last three matchups, all of which came against MVC foes, after their most recent loss in a home tilt against Duke. The Bruins had one of the nation's toughest non-conference schedules with early battles against Oklahoma, Tennessee, Ohio State, Princeton, and Kentucky.
 
Drake leads the all-time series with Belmont by a 5-2 margin. The Bulldogs and Bruins split last season's meetings with each team winning on the road. Drake is 2-1 against Belmont at home and 2-1 vs. the Bruins in Nashville. Belmont is looking for its first home win over Drake since the 2023 season. 2023 also marked Drake's largest margin of victory over Belmont with a 94-63 result at the Knapp Center.
 
Bart Brooks is in his ninth season leading the Bruins. He has put together an impressive
record of 206-75 during his tenure in Nashville.
 
Key Players
Jailyn Banks | 15.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.4 apg
Hilary Fuller | 14.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.2 bpg
Avery Strickland | 10.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.3 apg
 
Scouting Murray State
Defending Missouri Valley champion Murray State currently sits at 12-2 overall and is 2-0 in conference action. The Racers have been on a roll of late, winning their last 10 games. Murray State is coming off a 93-82 win over Bradley after a 101-93 victory in a thriller with Illinois State. The Racers will take on UNI on Jan. 9 before welcoming Drake to the CFSB Center on Sunday afternoon.
 
Drake also leads the all-time series with Belmont by a 5-2 margin. The Racers took two of three meetings last year with Drake's victory coming on the road in Murray. The Bulldogs are 3-0 all-time when playing at Murray State and average 86.6 points per game against the Racers.
 
Murray State is led by head coach Rechelle Turner, who has amassed a record of 148
111 in her nine seasons at the helm.
 
Key Players
Sharnecce Currie-Jelks | 20.5 ppg, 12.1 rpg, 1.5 spg
Halli Poock | 19.1 ppg, 3.6 apg, 2.9 rpg
Haven Ford | 16.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 4.1 apg
 
Up Next
Drake will be back in Des Moines for a Jan. 16 tilt against Bradley before quickly turning around and getting back on the road to Valparaiso on Jan. 18.