DES MOINES, Iowa – Drake women's basketball hung with Valley contender Belmont for a good portion of Thursday night's game at the Knapp Center, but the battle-tested Bruins were able to keep the Bulldogs at bay and depart Des Moines with a 67-52 triumph.
 
The two teams slogged through a couple scoreless possessions to start the game until Anna Becker was assisted by Abbie Aalsma on a transition two. Becker continued her solid start with another score less than 60 seconds later. The Bruins were able to finally get on the board nearly three and a half minutes into the contest when reigning MVC Newcomer of the Week Avery Strickland canned a triple from the top of the key.
 
Brooklin Dailey, who logged a career high 16 points in Drake's visit to Belmont earlier this season, answered with a 3-pointer of her own as Drake took its second 4-point lead of the early going.
 
Dailey came back after the first period media break and swished another three, this time in the corner directly adjacent to the Bruins' bench. Forward Maggie Taylor matched Dailey's second trey with one of her own from nearly the same exact spot on the floor, which marked just her second made 3-pointer of the season and first since Drake hosted Iowa State on Nov. 20.
 
A Quinn Eubank three got Belmont within one on the other end as the Bruins held Drake scoreless for nearly the final three minutes of the opening stanza. Aalsma ended that chilly stretch with a floating jumper just four ticks before the clock expired.
 
Drake led 17-14 after the first quarter.
 
The Dogs and Bruins again slipped into a dry spell as the second quarter got underway with Drake going without a point for over three minutes of game time. Drake was able to scratch its way to a 22-21 lead with just under two minutes remaining until halftime when Belmont's offensive struggles returned.
 
The Bruins settled in, though, as the timer wound under a minute with five straight points from Sanaa Tripp, giving the visitors a 26-25 halftime advantage.
 
The two teams went back-and-forth to start the second half until Jailyn Banks led Belmont on a 7-0 run capped by a hoop and harm.
 
Drake rallied to erase their short deficit as Dailey reached double figures on the night with a pair of free throws, tying the score at 37-all. But the Bulldogs could not manage any more offensive production in period as Belmont took a 6-point lead into the final 10 minutes.
 
Grace Knutson sparked a Drake rally early in the fourth frame as she sunk a midrange pull-up jumper for her first score of the night. Taylor added to the comeback effort with a traditional 3-point play, cutting the pro-Belmont margin to just a possession. Knutson then got her left hand on the ball on the other end, forcing a turnover to keep Drake's charge alive. A Banks bucket and Tripp 2-pointer halted Drake's mojo, but Taylor chipped in with another from the elbow.
 
Belmont's lead ballooned into double digits later in the quarter as Strickland sank a three. The Bruins maintained control for the remainder of Thursday night's tilt as their veteran guards had too much for the Dogs to handle. Belmont went on to win, 67-52, and secure the season sweep over the Bulldogs.
 
"The first quarter felt really good…we competed and had high energy," Suzie Glazer Burt Head Coach Allison Pohlman said. "But from that point on we started having to catch up, got really passive, and just couldn't put the ball in the hole. Credit to Belmont in the second half, but we have to find a way to convert on the open opportunities we keep getting."
 
Drake's star rookie Becker led the Bulldogs with 14 points. Taylor added 13 while Dailey finished with 10. Abbie Aalsma paced the Bulldogs with seven rebounds and three assists.
 
The Bulldogs will be back on the road for their next contest when they visit Normal, Illinois this Saturday. Drake will face off with the Redbirds of Illinois State with tip off from CEFCU Arena slated for 4 p.m.
 
 
Notes

• Drake, suffering its fourth straight loss, fell to 6-16 overall and 5-7 in the Missouri Valley Conference.
• The Bulldogs slipped 2-9 at home.
• Drake shot 33.9 percent (20-59) including 23.3 percent (7-30) in the second half.
• There were three ties and five lead changes in the game.
• Drake shot 34 percent (17-50) for the game, making just three of 14 shots beyond the three-point arch.
• Drake opened the second quarter missing its first nine shots while going without a basket for 7 minutes 11 seconds before Anna Becker broke the drought with a basket with 2:49 left in the period.
• Drake committed 19 turnovers (12 in the second half) which led to Belmont scoring 26 points off those miscues. 
• Anna Becker led Drake with 14 points, including eight in the first half. She scored only five in the previous meeting against Belmont this season. 
• Sophomore Maggie Taylor added 13 poingss, including eight in the first half.
• Brooklin Dailey added 10 points with six in the first half.
• Abbie Aalsma tied a career high with seven rebounds, while leading Drake with three assists.
• Drake, suffering its second straight loss to Belmont, leads the all-time series 5-4 including a 2-2 mark in games played in Des Moines.