MOLINE, Ill. – The Drake University women’s basketball team picked up an intense victory in the MVC Tournament semifinals this afternoon. The Bulldogs outlasted rival UNI in a back-and-forth clash as Drake won its 28th game of the year, matching a single-season program record.
Drake got on the board on the game’s very first possession as Taylor McAulay splashed in a corner three. UNI’s Kayba Laube then answered for the Panthers with a three of her own. McAulay banked in another before Grace Boffelli spurred a 4-0 Panther run to give UNI its first lead of the game.
McAulay continued her hot start with another three and a floater in the paint. She scored the first 10 points of the game for the Bulldogs.
Shannon Fornshell was the first Drake player not named McAulay to score, hitting two straight three-pointers. McAulay kept Drake’s early run going with an offensive rebound and an acrobatic finish. The senior’s fifth field goal in the first five minutes prompted a UNI timeout. Fornshell and McAulay combined to score the Bulldogs’ first 18 points.
Laube and the Panthers kept within striking distance as the first quarter wound to a close. A Courtney Becker runner gave Drake a 26-17 lead after one.
Maya McDermott and Laube went back-to-back from distance to start the second quarter as UNI scratched back within five. McDermott added five straight to knot the score at 28 apiece. Drake inched back in front as the second quarter progressed, but their lead did not exceed six points before the half. Drake led 43-37 after the first 20 minutes of action.
Boffeli put down the first score of the second half with a mid-range jumper from the top of the key. The Panthers’ star forward was sidelined for much of the first half after picking up two early fouls.
Grace Berg got Drake’s second half started with a trey and two free throws as the Bulldogs worked their lead back into double figures. UNI refused to go away, though, as the Bulldog lead shrunk back to five at the third quarter media timeout. The third period grind continued over the last few moments as the Bulldogs led 66-57 with 10 minutes to play.
McDermott trimmed the Panther deficit down again at the start of the fourth period with a pair of jumpers and an extra foul shot. After forcing a turnover and a miss by the Bulldogs, McDermott swished a three in transition to get back within two and force Suzie Glazer Burt Head Coach Allison Pohlman to take a timeout.
After the pause, UNI extended their run to 9-0 with a Laube triple. The three-pointer gave the Panthers their first lead since the score was 9-8. Over that 9-0 stretch, Drake was held scoreless for over three minutes.
Dinnebier stopped the Bulldogs’ scoreless streak with a three-pointer after a scramble for a loose ball. McDermott answered on the other end with another trey of her own as the two teams continued to trade blows. Dinnebier came through again for the Bulldogs, giving Drake a 75-73 lead with her third three-pointer of the afternoon.
A pair of Boffeli free throws tied the score again at 75-all with just under 30 seconds to play. The Dogs pulled out two defensive stops including an athletic block from Ava Hawthorne, who played increased time down the stretch after McAulay fouled out, but could not get a Grace Berg heave to fall at the horn as regulation time expired and the game advanced to overtime.
The Bulldogs started the overtime period as quickly as they started the game. Berg and Becker keyed a 9-0 run to begin O.T. as Drake took an 84-75 lead. The Panthers did their best to chip away but did not have enough juice to match Drake in the extra period as the top-seeded Bulldogs held on for the 92-83 win.
McAulay led the Dogs in scoring for just the third time this season as she finished with 22 points, only trailing UNI’s McDermott (33 points) in the game.
Berg poured in 17 while Dinnebier and Miller added 15 to round out Drake’s offensive leaders. That trio also each recorded a double-double as Miller led all players on the boards with 17 rebounds, Berg snagged 11 rebounds of her own, and Dinnebier dished out 10 assists. Courtney Becker also snared double-digit rebounds with 12.
“Our team’s confidence wavered for a second,” Pohlman said after the game. “That moment was really pivotal…we just decided to grind it out for the last five minutes and, when we went into overtime, there was like a huge sigh of relief…we got ourselves a fresh start. There’s no other words than amazing.”
Drake will advance to tomorrow’s MVC Tournament Championship game at 1 p.m. The Bulldogs will face off against the winner of the other semifinal tilt between No. 2 seed Belmont and No. 3 seed Missouri State.
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