Abbie Aalsma

CORALVILLE — Drake rallied in the fourth quarter but could not overcome a second-half deficit in a 69-62 loss to Illinois State in the quarterfinals of the Missouri Valley Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament on Friday at Xtream Arena.

Sixth-seeded Drake (12-20) trailed by 13 late in the third quarter before mounting a push in the final period. The Bulldogs scored 21 points in the fourth and cut the margin to five with 30 seconds remaining after a fast-break layup by Abbie Aalsma. Illinois State answered at the free-throw line to secure the win.

Aalsma led Drake with 21 points, including several key baskets during the late rally. Lexi Carlsen added 10 points, while Quinn Vice and Anna Becker each contributed seven.

Drake led 16-13 after the first quarter and briefly pushed its advantage to six in the second before Illinois State responded with a 22-14 period to take a 35-30 halftime lead.

The third-seeded Redbirds (20-12) extended their lead in the third quarter, building a double-digit cushion behind a balanced offensive effort and a 9-0 run that helped push the margin to 51-38 entering the fourth.

Drake was limited to 3-of-15 shooting from 3-point range. Illinois State outrebounded the Bulldogs 40-28 and outscored them 10-0 in second-chance points.

The Redbirds will face No. 10 seed Evansville (9-24) in Saturday’s 4 p.m. semifinal. The Purple Aces stunned No. 2 Belmont 76-63 in their quarterfinal.