Monahan nets career-high 19 as Bulldogs rally to vanquish Vikings.
Drake Bulldogs guard Mya Crawford (8) releases a shot over the outstretched arm of Cleveland State guard Paula Pique (10) during a women’s NCAA basketball game at the Knapp Center in Des Moines, Iowa, on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026. (Photo/Ginnie Coleman)
Drake Athletic Communications
DES MOINES, Iowa – Backed by the cheers from thousands of youngsters, the Drake women’s basketball team rewarded them with a victory.
The Bulldogs withstood Cleveland State’s torrid first-quarter shooting, got contributions up and down the lineup and dominated the rebounding in beating the Vikings 76-71 at a noisy Knapp Center on Tuesday.
Drake (2-1) trailed throughout the first quarter, turned things around by outscoring Cleveland State 44-28 over the middle two quarters, then held off a late run by the Vikings with a big 3-pointer from Quinn Vice and steady free throw shooting.
Some 5,000 youngsters from 48 schools filled the arena for the Bulldogs’ annual Character Counts! Day and they made their presence felt from the beginning with their voices and energy. And once the Bulldogs got going, the kids had ample reason to cheer.
Second-year Bulldog Mylea Monahan, who sat out all last season with a knee injury, led the way with her best game to date. She knocked down a 3-pointer for the Bulldogs’ first basket and went on to score 19 points with four triples in all plus five rebounds and three assists.
Vice delivered 14 points on 5-for-8 shooting and seven rebounds off the bench. She went 2-for-3 from deep and tacked on three assists, two steals and two blocks. Anna Becker added 11 points and Grace Knutson scored 10.
Freshman Karis Finley had her best game so far with seven points, a team best 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals. Her 11 rebounds were the most by a freshman since Vice grabbed 12 against Southern Illinois last Jan. 2.
Brooklin Dailey also had a solid line, leading the team with six assists, grabbing nine rebounds and scoring eight points.
The Bulldogs finished with a commanding 48-24 rebounding edge and grabbed 16 offensive boards, which led to a 20-8 advantage in second-chance points. They also were unselfish with the ball, recording assists on 21 of their 23 field goals.
The rebounding helped Drake stay within striking distance while Cleveland State (1-2) was going 6-for-8 from 3-point range in the opening quarter. The Vikings made five straight from distance at one stretch in opening a 21-14 lead and were up 22-17 at the break.
Cleveland State’s lead grew to 30-22 before the Bulldogs charged back, finishing the half on an 18-5 run to take a 40-35 lead in the locker room. Dailey started the burst with a layup and finished it with a trey from the left wing. Vice also knocked down a 3 in the run, Becker scored twice inside and Finley sank four free throws.
An 8-0 spurt put Cleveland State back in front midway through the third quarter, but the Vikings weren’t there for long. Monahan buried a 3, Vice scored back-to-back buckets inside on passes from Finley and Dailey for a 50-46 lead and the Bulldogs never trailed again.
When Knutson and Dailey combined for eight straight points to end the third quarter, Drake’s lead had ballooned to its largest of the game, 61-50.
The Vikings still had a bit of life, though. Drake went scoreless for more than four minutes after Monahan fed Vice for a layup that made it 65-55 and Cleveland State drew to 65-62 on two Silvia Gonzalez free throws with 3:03 left.
It got no closer. Monahan found Vice on the right wing with a crosscourt pass and the 6-foot-4 sophomore buried a trey to end the drought bring the Bulldogs back to life. Drake then went 8-of-10 on free throws to finish it off, with Becker going 5-for-6. Drake wound up 19-for-22 at the line and finished with 11 3-pointers.
Gonzalez led Cleveland State with 20 points. After their hot start, the Vikings made just 6 of their last 27 3-point shots and shot only 33 percent overall.
“We had a little too slow of a start but kept chipping away,” Suzie Glazer Burt Head Coach Allison Pohlman said. “Cleveland State shot it so well in the first quarter, but we stayed with it. We hit the board hard when we weren’t matching their offensive output, and at times it didn’t feel like the cleanest game, but we got the job done. We’ve already come so far from the preseason but still layers to add and lots of learning to do for our group.”
Drake hits the road for its next game, playing at Omaha on Friday. Tipoff time is 5:30 p.m.
