Missouri State (12-13, 4-9 Missouri Valley Conference) pulled within one possession on six separate occasions in the second half but was never able to even the score as Drake (8-16, 3-10) withstood each MSU charge.
The Lady Bears fell behind 13-0 by the first media timeout before a Tyonna Snow free throw put MSU on the board at the 15:37 mark. The Lady Bears waited even longer until their first field goal after an 0-for-9 start before Des Moines native NiJay Gaines hit a 3-pointer with 12:37 to play. Gaines added another score for a 6-0 run as Missouri State held DU without a point for more than five minutes to close to 13-6.
Drake’s lead remained between six and 10 points until Kenzie Williams converted a layup off an nice pass from Desiree Phillips to make it 26-21 with 4:09 on the clock, but the Bulldogs had the margin back in double figures at 31-21 just 52 seconds later and carried it into halftime at 38-28.
The Lady Bears made it a five-point game twice more before five minutes had passed in the second half and Christiana Shorter’s driving layup at the 13:59 mark pulled MSU within one possession at 45-42.
It was 59-57 Drake after Shorter scored with 5:19 remaining when the Bulldogs scored the next five points for a 64-57 advantage and kept the lead at five or better for the remainder of the game.
Missouri State hauled in 60 totals rebounds, including 27 on the offensive end, and held a plus-21 margin over DU.
The Lady Bears shot just 27-of-75 overall, 2-for-12 on 3-pointers and 8-for-26 from the foul line. Drake equaled MSU with 27 field goals, but made seven treys and 14 foul shots. Ashley Bartow and Kyndal Clark shared high scoring honors for DU with 19 each, including 17 from Bartow in the second period.
The Lady Bears return home Thursday at 7:05 p.m. when Southern Illinois comes to JQH Arena.
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