Drake women’s basketball has been on a hot streak recently after collecting their fourth straight win against the Longwood Lancers last Friday, Dec. 3.
After two double digit losses in the middle of November, the Bulldogs attended the Nugget Classic three-game tournament in Reno, Nev over Thanksgiving weekend.
In Reno, the Bulldogs were able to sweep their field and beat all three of their opponents helping move their record to 4-2 on the season.
“The biggest factor that led to our three wins was just us playing team basketball and playing both sides of the floor well,” said Maggie Bair, junior forward. “We are pretty versatile and on any given night we’re going to have any three [or] four of us scoring in double figures.”
The Bulldogs beat the Nevada Wolfpack in their home state by the skin of their teeth 77-75. However, the Bulldogs were able to best San Francisco and Idaho by double digits.
“I think the biggest factor throughout the Reno tournament was winning each individual quarter,” said Katie Dinnebier, first-year guard. “We usually do such a good job of starting out strong but tend to let our guard down later in the game, However, at the tournament, we were able to push and fight back in the later quarters.”
After the tournament, the Bulldogs returned home and handily defeated the Longwood Lancers to improve to 5-2 on the season.
After this string of wins, the team has started to see different players rise up as team leaders through their effort on the court.
“I think both Dinnebier and Megan Meyer have stepped into their roles really fast,” Bair said. “Katie has been an incredible addition both offensively and defensively. Megan has showed strong versatility and is great with getting to the rim and finishing contested shots.”
The players have expressed confidence in their roster for the Bulldogs’ upcoming games.
“The special thing about our team is that we have a lot of depth and a lot of people that can step up for every game,” Dinnebier said. “It’s always a different person that makes shot or gets an important rebound. That is why I think we will do well for the rest of the season.”
The Bulldogs face four more games before starting conference play on Dec. 30 against Indiana State. Two of the teams, the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Minnesota Golden-Gophers, are part of the Big Ten conference.
“I think our last few non-conference games are super important and will help prepare us for conference play next month,” Bair said. “We have two Big Ten opponents coming up this month which will be great challenges for us.”
The players are not the only ones who are looking forward to the rest of the season. The staff of the women’s basketball team have shown excitement and confidence with less than a month left until the Missouri Valley begins conference play.
“I think the team is going to do phenomenal,” said Michael Cummings, a digital media assistant. “We are on a four-game win streak and fresh off a tournament where we won all our games. I am excited to see what else this team will bring, especially those who are all new to the team.”
The Bulldogs continue their schedule against Simpson College on Tuesday, Dec. 7 at home.
