Drake Athletic Communications
DES MOINES, Iowa – An exhibition game against Minnesota-Duluth gave the Drake women’s basketball team and coach Allison Pohlman exactly what everyone needed.
Twelve players got into the game, Pohlman had a chance to try different lineup combinations, and the Bulldogs came out of it with a 66-56 victory over their NCAA Division II opponent at the Knapp Center on Wednesday night.
The game also gave fans their first look at the team’s newcomers and redshirt freshmen guards Mya Crawford and Mylea Monahan, who sat out all last season because of knee injuries. Both started, along with sophomore Anna Becker, junior Lexi Carlsen and senior transfer Allie Myers.
Becker, named to the Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman Team last season, led the scoring with 14 points on 5-for-10 shooting. She also collected five rebounds and a couple assists. Another sophomore, Quinn Vice, made the most of her 17 minutes on the floor, coming off the bench to score 13 points on 6-for-10 shooting, including a 3-pointer.
Crawford, who played her high school ball at Ankeny Centennial, put together an impressive line with nine points, eight rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block. She looked comfortable while playing over 30 minutes and will give the Bulldogs an extra dose of athleticism.
Senior Brooklyn Dailey also posted some solid numbers, leading the team with eight distributions, pulling down seven rebounds, and scoring nine points. She set up half of Vice’s baskets with some sharp passes to the low post from the top of the key.
Monahan, who was expected to be the starting point guard last season, opened at that position Wednesday night and finished with five points and one assist while playing 25 minutes. Junior Grace Knutson added seven points, five rebounds and two assists, while Maggie Taylor, also a junior, gave the Bulldogs six points and three rebounds.
Carlsen contributed three points, two rebounds and an assist. Myers, who transferred in from Tarleton State in Texas, did not take a shot, but had three rebounds and an assist while playing 14 minutes.
Looking to bounce from a 12-20 season, the program’s first sub-.500 record since 2013, the Bulldogs outrebounded UMD 40-29 and shared the ball to the tune of 20 assists on 25 field goals. They didn’t always shoot it well, finishing at 42.4 percent, but kept their turnovers (13) to a minimum and held UMD to 29.6 percent shooting in the second half.
UMD is ranked 22nd in the preseason Division II poll and is coming off a 22-9 season that ended in the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament. Karly Jusczak led UMD with 17 points but scored only two in the second half. Grace Counts added 15 points for the visitors.
Even with Drake controlling the boards and moving the ball on offense, UMD stayed with the Bulldogs for most of the game. It was 36-all at halftime, UMD twice led in the third quarter and was down just 51-49 heading into the final period.
Dailey helped Drake finally open some breathing room during the closing minutes. She sank two free throws, fed Vice for a layup with a pass from out front and found Knutson for a layup, making it 59-53. Dailey then knocked down a 3 from the right wing for a 62-55 lead and the Bulldogs finished it up with free throws.
With this tune-up out of the way, the Bulldogs open the regular season against Eastern Illinois at Knapp Center next Tuesday, Nov. 3. Tip-off time is 6 p.m.
