Drake women finish undefeated in conference schedule . . . again

Photo by Maddie Topliff

BY JOSH COOK

50 wins and four losses. The Bulldogs’ conference record over the last three seasons.

The women’s team closed out their season this week with two road games against Loyola and Valparaiso.

Loyola

Drake took on the Ramblers on March 1 in Chicago. It was actually Loyola that got off to a strong start, outscoring Drake 23-20 in the first quarter.

After that, the Bulldogs outscored Loyola 77-30 to complete a 97-53 road win.

Becca Hittner provided 25 points, 5 assists, 4 steals, 3 blocks and 3 rebounds, contributing with an all-around solid basketball game.

Maddy Dean and Sara Rhine also played strongly. Dean had 17 points while Rhine had 15. Both grabbed 8 rebounds on the night.

The Drake bench outscored Loyola’s bench by a score of 45-10. The depth the Bulldogs have on their roster is a strong point for the team. It seems like any combination of Drake players is just always the better five on the court.

Valparaiso

The Bulldogs then traveled to Indiana to take on Valparaiso in the final conference game of the year.

Drake got out to a blistering start and ended the first quarter already up 22 points.

Sara Rhine played really well, again, scoring 25 points on 10 of 13 from the field in just 19 minutes of playing time.

Becca Jonas also had a strong outing against Valpo, racking up a 13-point and 11-rebound double-double in only 17 minutes on the court.

MVC Tournament

Drake will, oddly enough, play the winner of tomorrow night’s first round game (Loyola vs Valparaiso) in what will be their tournament debut with a first-round bye.

Drake, being the No. 1 seed, has a clear path to the championship game where they’ll try to earn another NCAA tournament bid.