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No. 21 Drake outlasts UNI to clinch MVC regular-season title

AP PHOTO • Drake seniors Lizzy Wendell and Caitlin Ingle, right, hug at the end of a Missouri Valley Conference women’s basketball game against Northern Iowa on Friday night at the Knapp Center in Des Moines. Wendell scored a game-high 21 points and Ingle added nine points and eight assists in the No. 21 Bulldogs’ 70-57 win, clinching the MVC regular-season title outright for the first time since 2000.

DES MOINES — For the first time since 2000, the Drake women’s basketball team is atop the Missouri Valley Conference, alone and still untouched.

The 21st-ranked Bulldogs (23-4, 16-0) clinched the outright, regular-season title in the MVC after a 70-57 win against in-state rival Northern Iowa on Friday night, in front of a record crowd. A raucous 6,456 witnessed something not done in 17 years, finally accomplished on its home court.

“It honestly brings tears to my eyes to think about how important this game was, just in terms of our fans and being able to come,” said Drake head coach Jennie Baranczyk. “It’s nothing but complete respect for both programs. So for women’s basketball, this is awesome. It was an awesome environment.”

A sluggish first half was thwarted when seniors Lizzy Wendell and Caitlin Ingle showcased their talents through the final quarter and a half to clinch the conference title. Wendell went for 21 points and four rebounds, while Ingle had nine points and a team-high eight assists in the win.

The turn didn’t happen immediately out of the break. Up just four (26-22) at halftime, the Bulldogs and Panthers (20-7, 13-3) went back and forth, before leading scorer Madison Weekly hit a 3-pointer with 8 minutes, 37 second remaining to knot the game at 28-all. But with 6:16 to go, the Bulldogs snatched up a 13-2 run to close out the third and take a 47-34 lead.

T-R PHOTO BY ADAM RING • Northern Iowa’s Ellie Herzberg, right, shoots over Drake defender Paige Greiner (15) during the second half of Friday’s Missouri Valley Conference women’s basketball game at the Knapp Center in Des Moines. Herzberg scored seven points off the bench as the Panthers lost 70-57.

“That’s when our depth starts to kick in,” Baranczyk said. “So to be able to play the minutes we were able to play in the first half, helps us in the third quarter. And we really started to run the floor better. They really tried to keep people in the paint, but we’re better when we can move in and out of the paint. In the second half, we did a much better job.”

The Ingle to Wendell connection worked as well as a brand-new locomotive. The senior assister defined the term ‘dropping dimes’ as she made heroic passes inside to Wendell, Becca Jonas and Sammie Bachrodt time and time again.

“I’m just really proud of our team, and really happy,” Ingle said. “It’s a great moment for us, but like Jennie said, the best is yet to come and that’s the really exciting part. It’s great to see how far we’ve come.”

Baranczyk said seeing Ingle run in the full court was exciting to watch as much as it was effective to operate. The Bulldogs’ 61.1 percent shooting clip in the fourth quarter came from sets Ingle initiated.

“The connection [Wendell and Ingle] have is one defenses have to constantly watch,” Baranczyk said. “They have to constantly pay attention to Lizzy. So when she runs the floor so well, there’s time when Caitlin can sneak it in, and it’s amazing. There’s a lot of times when no one else saw it but her, and that’s so impressive.”

T-R PHOTO BY ADAM RING • Drake freshman Becca Hittner (5) shoots over UNI’s Hannah Schonhardt (20) during Friday’s MVC game in Des Moines.

Northern Iowa head coach Tanya Warren said Wendell and Ingle frustrated the Panthers in the second half, leading to a 42-14 deficit in the paint.

“Both of those kids are too good, and their mentalities are going to come out,” Warren said. “To make something happen, again, that’s where it started. We got two stops, and then gave up offensive rebounds. That gets them going. You’re not going to be able to stop those two, but you’ve got to try and be able to contain them.”

On paper, the Panthers had the upper hand in a lot of places. Offensively, Northern Iowa snagged 20-8 offensive boards, but failed to convert, leading to just eight second-chance points. The Panther bench also outscored Drake’s 16-8, while committing one less turnover (14-13).

The lack of baskets led to a 28.1 percent shooting mark for the Panthers, something Warren noted won’t cut it against Drake.

“We missed a lot of easy shots early, and to start the second half, they got two offensive rebounds that went for two quick points,” Warren said. “We really wanted to control the tempo early, but the only way you have an opportunity to beat Drake is to make shots. They’re too good and too efficient offensively, and it eventually wears on your defense.”

T-R PHOTO BY ADAM RING

Baranczyk credited the perfect conference record to a loose way of playing. The carefree band of sisters compete with a schoolyard kind of care, noting that despite clinching the regular-season conference title, that’s not what the year has been about.

“You can just tell they really care about each other, and they just don’t care who gets the credit,” Baranczyk said. “They don’t care about a championship, they love playing. The championship is going to find them, and that’s why [the MVC title] found us. Because they don’t seek anything or search for anything. They focus every day bringing their best selves to get better and having fun.”

The record crowd was the first time since 2001 6,400 fans had been inside the Knapp Center for a women’s basketball game.

Drake will finish out its two home games against Missouri State on March 2 and against Wichita State on March 4. The Panthers will host Wichita State on March 2, while getting to host Missouri State March 4.

No. 21 DRAKE 70, NORTHERN IOWA 57

At Des Moines

N. IOWA (20-7, 13-3) — Maahs 3-6 0-0 7, Schonhardt 0-3 2-2 2, Davison 3-7 0-0 8, Morgan 2-7 0-0 5, Weekly 6-21 4-4 19, Hagen 0-1 4-4 4, Hillyard 1-2 0-0 2, Herzberg 3-13 0-1 7, Kirkpatrick 0-4 0-0 0, Simon-Ressler 0-0 3-4 3. TOTALS 18-64 13-15 57.

DRAKE (23-4, 16-0) — Jonas 5-9 0-1 10, Wendell 8-15 4-5 21, Bachrodt 4-5 0-0 10, Hittner 4-8 2-2 12, Ingle 4-7 0-0 9, Mertz 0-0 0-0 0, Greiner 1-3 0-0 2, Miller 2-5 0-2 4, Rose 1-3 0-0 2, Rush 0-1 0-0 0. TOTALS 29-56 6-10 70.

N. IOWA 8 14 12 23 — 57

DRAKE 8 18 21 23 — 70

3-Point Goals–UNI 8-33 (Maahs 1-1, Schonhardt 0-1, Davison 2-5, Morgan 1-4, Weekly 3-13, Herzberg 1-7, Kirkpatrick 0-2), Drake 6-24 (Jonas 0-3, Wendell 1-4, Bachrodt 2-3, Hittner 2-5, Ingle 1-2, Greiner 0-2, Miller 0-2, Rose 0-2, Rush 0-1). Assists–UNI 12 (Weekly 3), Drake 19 (Ingle 8). Fouled Out–None. Rebounds–UNI 41 (Maahs 9), Drake 35 (Bachrodt 6). Total Fouls–UNI 17, Drake 21. A–6,456.

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