(Carbondale, IL [via godrakebulldogs.com]) – Drake hit the ground running in their first Missouri Valley Conference game of the season after they beat Southern Illinois 78-59. Saturday night’s win marked the 50th total win for Drake Head Coach Allison Pohlman.

Drake’s Katie Dinnebier played a complete game as she knocked down 26 points and also dished out seven assists and took away four steals. Grace Berg was just one point behind Deinnebier with 25 for her season high and also pulled down seven boards. Berg’s 25 points marked her 19th career game with at least 20 points or more. Anna Miller also came in clutch in both the rebounding and scoring game with 12 rebounds and 13 points for a double-double. Behind her was Taylor McAulay as she finished the team off in double-digit scoring with 10 points and a career-best five steals.

Southern Illinois was led in the game by Quierra Love with 12 points, four rebounds, and four steals. Both Laniah Randle and Se’Quoia Allmond knocked in 11 points each to round out double-digit marks in scoring. Drake was able to hold SIU to just 27.6% from the field while also holding them to 28.6% from the three-point line.

Drake now leads the Salukis 68-30 in the all-time series with three-straight victories over SIU. The Bulldogs will take on Indiana State on January 4th followed by a trip to Evansville on January 6th.

STILLWATER, Oklahoma (Via Cyclones.com) – Iowa State (8-4, 1-0 Big 12) took the conference-opening victory over Oklahoma State (7-5, 0-1 Big 12) Saturday afternoon on the road by a score of 76-68. ISU moves to 18-10 in Big 12 openers under Bill Fennelly and won its seventh-straight.  After the home team led by as much as seven, ISU powered back to hold the lead after the first and second quarters. The Cyclones took the momentum to the third quarter, outscoring OSU 19-9 to take a 12-point lead to the fourth. ISU never relinquished the lead to hand OSU their first loss at home this season.

Audi Crooks led with 21 points shooting at 9-of-14 from the field, while Addy Brown made for two Cyclones with 20-plus points, totaling 20 on 7-of-12 shooting. Arianna Jackson had her first-career double-figure performance with 14 points, including four 3-pointers on just five shots. Isnelle Natabou totaled the fourth with 10-plus points, tallying 10 shooting at an efficiency of 83 percent. Crooks performed to her 11th-straight 10-plus point game and fourth total game this season with 20 or more. The freshman totaled 21 points and seven rebounds in just 27 minutes of play. Crooks had 13 first half points, missing only two shots.

Addy Brown totaled 20 points and nine rebounds, the second 20-plus point game of her young career. Brown came one rebound shy of her sixth-straight double-double. Brown had eight points in the third quarter alone, aiding the Cyclones in building a lead OSU could not overcome.

Up Next: Iowa State hosts Kansas for the Cyclone’s Big 12 home opener Wednesday, Jan. 3 at 6:30 p.m.

NOTES

• Iowa State has recorded a made 3-pointer in an NCAA women’s basketball record 906-straight games. The streak spans the entirety of the Bill Fennelly era.
• The Cyclones picked up their 37^th all-time win over the Cowgirls and 27^th of the Fennelly era. The all-time series record sits at 38-37 in favor of OSU but 27-20 in the Fennelly era. The win also marks the 15^th ever for ISU in Stillwater.
• Iowa State won its seventh-straight Big 12 opener and fourth on the road in the last seven seasons. The last time Iowa State lost its Big 12 opener was on Dec. 29, 2016 in Stillwater, a 71-59 loss to the Cowgirls.
• The conference road win snapped a two-game conference road losing streak and was the fifth-straight conference win for Iowa State.
• Arianna Jackson doubled her previous career high with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the floor, including two clutch 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.
• With 20 points, Addy Brown recorded the second 20-point game of her career.
• Audi Crooks also recorded her third career 20-point game with 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the floor.
• With 41 combined points from Crooks and Brown, it marks the first time this season two Cyclones have finished with 20 or more points in the same game.
• Brown just missed her seventh career double-double and sixth consecutive, recording 20 points and nine rebounds.
• Four Cyclones scored in double figures, marking the fourth-straight game with that total. Crooks led the way with 21, Brown followed with 20, Jackson added 14 and Isnelle Natabou chipped in 10 on 5-of-6 shooting.

A slow start proved costly as Iowa State lost to Memphis 36-26 in the Liberty Bowl. It was a game the Cyclones trailed 19-0 in the first quarter. Sophomore linebacker Caleb Bacon.

Memphis had 364 yards of passing and added 166 on the ground.

Rocco Becht had 446 yards of passing and three touchdowns but Memphis held the Cyclones to no rushing yards.

The Cyclones finish the season 7-6 and with most of the starters returning the future is bright.

CORALVILLE, Iowa – The University of Iowa women’s wrestling team finished day one of the second-annual Soldier Salute with 10 student-athletes in the semifinals. The Hawkeyes finished the day in first place, accumulating 95 team points.

In Session one, the Hawkeyes went 23-6 in the pool rounds, with 10 student-athletes going undefeated. Sterling Dias started the day off at 101 pounds with an 11-0 technical fall over Whitley Blake of Indiana Tech. She ended her first session with another tech. fall over Life’s Devyn Gomez, 14-4. Ava Bayless came in at 109 with a 10-0 tech. fall over Alyssa Valdivia of William Jewell, followed by another 14-4 tech. fall over Life’s Diana Gonzalez. At 116, Brianna Gonzalez notched two tech. falls defeating Adriana Martinez of Life (11-0) and Riley Horvath of Indiana Tech (13-2). At 123, Bella Ngo earned a 10-0 tech. fall against Emarie Bolosan of William Jewell. Emily Frost followed with another tech. fall, 12-2, against Indiana Tech’s Ellyana Kuzman.

Lilly Luft went 2-0 at 136 to start the day, notching a win against Koryna Diaz of William Jewell, via a 9-0 decision and a 10-0 tech. fall win over William Penn’s Sandra Arellano. Also at 136, Anakya Besco defeated Tarnpreet Soroya of Umpqua, via fall in 5:20 and continued with a 10-0 tech. fall over William Penn’s Alexis Cervantes. Reese Larramendy came in at 143 with a fall over Tatum Levendahl of Dubuque in 1:35. She ended the session earning a 10-0 tech. fall over Texas Wesleyan’s Maryellen Lafferty. At 155, Bella Mir made her season debut with two pins. Mir opened with a fall in 1:35 over Jennifer De La Torre of Umpqua, and followed with another fall in 43 seconds against Indiana Tech’s Cydney Bassett. Haley Ward opened at 170 with a quick 14-second pin against Kiara Meek of Dubuque, and then earned a forfeit over Tiffin’s Tia Leahy.

In Session two, the Hawkeyes put 10 athletes into the semifinals. Dias secured her spot at 101 with a quick 52-second pin over Teya Gardner of William Penn. At 116, Gonzalez followed with a tech. fall over Umpqua’s Taryn Evans, 12-1. Ngo advanced at 123 with a 10-0 tech. fall against Shea Reisel of Dubuque. At 130 pounds, Frost and Baudhuin battled in an all-Iowa quarterfinal. Frost came out on top with a fall in 4:16. Besco downed Victory’s Emma Gruenhagen via a 10-0 tech. fall at 136, and Luft notched a win as well over Mattison Parker of Texas Wesleyan with a 12-2 tech. fall. Larramendy notched a win at 143, pinning Texas Wesleyan’s Jalynn Patino in 1:14. Mir took the medical forfeit over Janida Garcia of Tiffin, and Haley Ward finished the day with her tech. fall over Umpqua’s Zoey Smalley, 10-0. Alivia White also advanced ahead to the finals at 191, where she will meet Jaycee Foeller who is wrestling unattached. Emmily Patneaud, unattached, will face Luft in the 136 semifinal.

HEAR FROM HEAD COACH CLARISSA CHUN

“It is great to have 10 of our athletes advancing through to the semifinals. Every time we step on the mat, whether it’s at practice or in competition, our goal is to get one percent better. I am always extremely proud of their efforts and how they carry themselves on and off of the mat. Coming back from winter break and performing the way they did shows how locked in they are. We are excited to be back in action tomorrow.”

UP NEXT

The Hawkeyes will wrap up competition on day two of Soldier Salute, tomorrow starting at 11 a.m. (CT). All matches will be streamed on B1G+ (subscription required).