The Basics
The Bulldog women's basketball team hits the road for two of its final four games this season. Drake is set to visit Evansville (Feb. 26) before traveling to Southern Illinois (Feb. 28).
Bulldog Breakdown
The Bulldogs were able to scrap together a pair of home wins over Indiana State (Feb. 14) and Valparaiso (Feb. 19) before suffering another setback to UIC (Feb. 22) in their most recent battle. Drake honored seniors
Abbie Aalsma and
Ava Hawthorne after the contest vs. UIC.
Drake currently leads the league in assists per game with 18 dishes per contest. The Dogs are also second in the MVC with 1.07 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Ava Hawthorne leads Drake with 85 total assists and 3.3 assists per game. The Bulldogs' assists numbers rank 14th in the country.
Drake has produced seven double-doubles this season with five by
Maggie Taylor and one apiece from both
Quinn Vice and
Anna Becker. Their first double-doubles this season also marked the trio's first career double-double efforts.
Senior sharpshooter
Abbie Aalsma leads the Bulldogs in scoring this season with an average of 14.8 points per game. She is one of two Drake players to average double digit points (
Anna Becker, 10.9).
Key Players
Abbie Aalsma | 14.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.7 apg
Anna Becker | 10.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.9 apg
Maggie Taylor | 9.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.8 apg
Scouting Evansville
The Purple Aces of Evansville are currently 7-20 overall. Five of UE's seven wins have come in conference play with a 5-11 MVC record. The Purple Aces are coming off a 64-63 overtime win over UNI last weekend, which snapped a 3-game losing streak.
Drake leads the all-time series with Evansville by a 55-14 margin. The Bulldogs have won 20 straight games vs. UE including 12 consecutive wins in Evansville. The Aces are seeking their first victory over Drake since a win in the 2015 MVC Tournament. The Bulldogs average 73.9 points per game vs. Evansville and are 24-7 all-time on the road against the Purple Aces.
Robyn Scherr is leading the Evansville Purple Aces this season. 2025-26 marks her fifth year at the helm with a UE record of 37-114. Scherr has posted a career record of 181-197 including previous stops at Roosevelt and Davenport.
Key Players
Camryn Runner | 17.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 5.4 apg
Logan Luebbers Palmer | 10.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.1 apg
Sydney Huber | 8.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.9 apg
Scouting Southern Illinois
Southern Illinois narrowly trails Drake in the MVC standings with a 6-10 league record and 9-16 mark overall. The Salukis have lost three games in a row including an 81-73 defeat to Indiana State on Feb. 21. SIU's last win came on Feb. 13 against Illinois State in Carbondale.
The Bulldogs lead SIU 71-30 in the two teams' all-time series. Drake has won the last six matchups after SIU swept the 2021-22 season. The Bulldogs average 70.1 points per game against Southern Illinois and are 26-21 all-time in Carbondale.
SIU is coached by fourth-year head coach Kelly Bond-White. She is 36-81 in her Saluki tenure.
Key Players
Alayna Kraus | 15.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.0 apg
Indya Green | 12.6 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 1.2 spg
Kayla Cooper | 10.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.8 apg
Up Next
Drake will conclude its regular season schedule with a pair of games split between home and the road. The Dogs will host Illinois State on Mar. 6 before visiting UNI on Mar. 8 for the regular season finale.
