DES MOINES, Iowa – Katie Dinnebier’s career-high 27 points carried the Drake women’s basketball team to a 77-66 victory over Louisiana Tech at the Knapp Center on Friday afternoon in the opening game of the Bulldogs’ Vibrant Thanksgiving Classic.

Dinnebier sparked two key spurts when the Bulldogs (4-1) needed a lift in topping her previous best of 24 points, which she had reached twice. The 5-foot-8 junior finished 8-for-13 from the field – seven driving layups and a 3-pointer – sank all 10 of her free throws, handed out four assists and made four steals.

Grace Berg added 21 points, including 16 in the second half, when Drake outscored the Lady Techsters 44-29 in taking control of the game. A graduate senior, Berg passed Maddy Dean and Erin Richards to move into 25^th place on Drake’s career scoring list with 1,340 points.

Berg made 7-of-11 shots from the field with a 3-pointer and knocked down all six of her free throws. Anna Miller also reached double figures for the Bulldogs, finishing with 12 points, six rebounds and three blocks.

The Bulldogs were looking for a bounce-back victory after their loss at then-No. 2 Iowa last Sunday and they got it, though they had to work for it against an aggressive Louisiana Tech bunch.

The Lady Techsters, whose rich history includes 13 Final Four appearances and three national championships, took early leads of 7-2 and 10-4 as the Bulldogs missed shots and surrendered a handful of turnovers.

Drake eventually pulled to a 20-16 lead on consecutive baskets by Dinnebier and freshman Shannon Fornshell, but the Bulldogs went scoreless over the first 3 1/2 minutes of the second quarter and the Lady Techsters ran off 11 straight points for a 29-20 lead.  Fornshell buried a 3 from the top of the key to end the drought, but Tech came right back with six straight for a 35-23 lead.

That’s when Dinnebier took over the first time, accounting for all the points in a 10-2 run that drew Drake to 37-33 at halftime. She sank two free throws, fed Berg for a backdoor layup, then scored the final six points of the half, the last coming when she stole the ball and beat the halftime buzzer for a layup.

The Lady Techsters got the lead up to 46-39 midway through the third quarter before Dinnebier and the Bulldogs struck again. Katie scored six points and Berg had four in a 12-0 spurt that lifted Drake into a 51-46 lead. The Bulldogs led the rest of the way.

Drake stretched the lead to 70-59 when Dinnebier drove for yet another bucket to cap a 6-0 run. The Bulldogs then finished it off by making 7-of-8 free throws, Dinnebier sinking the last four.

This was Drake’s fourth meeting with Louisiana Tech but the first since Jan. 19, 1988. Louisiana Tech won the three previous. Anna Larr Roberson, Robyn Lee and Silvia Nativi scored 14 points each to lead the Lady Techsters.

Drake shot 62.5 percent in the second half and 51 percent for the game while holding Tech to 38.7 percent shooting.

“[Louisiana Tech] a really good team,” Suzie Glazer Burt Head Coach Allison Pohlman said. “I thought we would’ve had a few more opportunities on the glass, but they really locked us up. We showed a lot of growth, especially down the stretch managing the game. Katie [Dinnebier] was ready [for the challenge]. Our transition game in the second half and points in the paint were great. We finished really well, and continue to grow.”

The Bulldogs will play again at 2 p.m. Saturday, meeting Richmond. They’ll finish play in the weekend event against Maine at 2 p.m. Sunday.