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 won back-to-back games for the third time this season last weekend. Drake took down Evansville in an 87-85 thriller (Feb. 26) before running Southern Illinois out of the Banterra Center to close the month (Feb. 28).
 
Drake currently leads the league in assists per game with 18.4 dishes per contest. The Dogs are also second in the MVC with 1.1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Ava Hawthorne leads Drake with 99 total assists and 3.5 assists per game. The Bulldogs' assists numbers rank ninth in the country.
 
Drake also leads the Missouri Valley Conference in rebounding margin. The Bulldogs pull down 39.6 boards per game while holding opponents to 34.7 rebounds per contest. Maggie Taylor paces Drake's rebounding effort with 7.0 per game.
 
Senior sharpshooter Abbie Aalsma leads the Bulldogs in scoring this season with an average of 15.3 points per game. She is one of two Drake players to average double digit points.
 
Anna Becker is the other Drake player to average double figures with 11.5 points per game to her credit. Becker earned her fifth MVC Freshman of the Week honor earlier this week.
 
Thursday's game vs. Illinois State will be the Bulldogs' final home contest of the season. Drake celebrated its Senior Day vs. UIC last month.
 
Drake fans lead the league in attendance this season averaging 2,770 patrons per game.
 
Key Players
Abbie Aalsma | 15.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.8 apg
Anna Becker | 11.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.9 apg
Grace Knuston | 9.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.7 apg
 
Scouting Illinois State
Illinois State is currently 18-11 overall and 12-6 in Missouri Valley action, good enough for the current No. 4 seed in the projected MVC Championship bracket. The Redbirds have won their last two matchups over Valpo and SIU, rebounding from an 11-point home loss to league-leader Murray State.
 
The Bulldogs lead Illinois State 55-41 in the two teams' all-time series. Drake is also 7-3 in the last 10 matchups. Illinois State won this season's first meeting by a 77-70 score in Normal. The Redbird win snapped a 4-game Bulldog winning streak. Illinois State is seeking its first win in Des Moines since 2013. Drake is 29-13 all-time against the Redbirds in Des Moines. The Bulldogs are averaging 70.1 points per game against Illinois State.
 
Kristen Gillespie is in her ninth season leading Illinois State with a 174-106 Redbird record. She made previous stops at Benedictine and Lewis, amassing a career mark of 279-171.
 
Key Players
Doneelah Washington | 17.0 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 2.0 spg
Addison Martin | 13.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.0 apg
Trista Fayta | 11.2 ppg, 6.1 apg, 4.1 rpg
 
Scouting UNI
The Panthers of Northern Iowa currently sit at 15-13 overall and 11-7 in league action. UNI has won its last two games over UIC and Valparaiso after getting upset in overtime at Evansville on Feb. 21. The Panthers will visit Indiana State on Mar. 5 before hosting Drake this weekend to finalize the regular season.
 
The Bulldogs lead UNI by a 75-28 margin in their all-time series. UNI won this year's earlier meeting, snapping a 5-game Bulldog winning streak. Drake is looking to build upon its 28-18 road record at UNI while the Panthers are seeking their first home win over Drake since 2023. The Dogs are averaging 75.1 points per game against UNI.
 
UNI is coached by longtime leader Tanya Warren, who has built a record of 354-257 in her 19-year head coaching tenure.
 
Key Players
Ryley Goebel | 14.4 ppg, 8.09 rpg, 2.7 bpg
Jenna Twedt | 14.0 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.6 apg
Taryn Wharton | 8.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.6 apg
 
Up Next
Drake and the rest of the league will tip things off at the 2026 MVC Championships in Coralville, Iowa from Mar. 12-15.