DES MOINES, Iowa – Led by three players in double-figure scoring, the Drake University women's basketball team cruised past No. 22 Nebraska, 80-62, Saturday afternoon in the Knapp Center. The Bulldogs' dominant win marked their first over a ranked opponent in four years.
Nebraska started the day with a freebie after Drake was assessed an administrative technical foul prior to tip-off. Despite the early miscue off the court, Drake never trailed after the first two minutes of the game and led by as many as 22 points while shooting 55.4 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from behind the three-point arc.
Sophomore Katie Dinnebier paced the Bulldogs with 18 points and six assists. Her quickness and driving caused the Huskers defensive fits all afternoon as she drew nine of the Huskers' 19 fouls. Senior Sarah Beth Gueldner led Drake's three-point attack, going 4-of-6 from the arc for 16 points. Inside, senior Maggie Bair added 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting with nine rebounds, four blocks, three assists and two steals.
Bair and sophomore Anna Miller combined for seven total blocks as they helped hold Nebraska to 31 percent shooting. Center Alexis Markowski led Nebraska with 21 points, including two of the Huskers' five three-pointers, while Jaz Shelley had nine points and six assists. More than half of Shelley's scoring came from the free-throw line.
Drake set the tone early with a 13-3 run midway through the first quarter that put the Bulldogs up 18-9 with two minutes left in the period on a Grace Berg layup. Berg, Dinnebier and Gueldner combined for all 13 points of that run.
The Bulldogs stretched their lead to as many as 12 points, 24-12, early in the second quarter. But Nebraska answered with a 12-0 run to tie the contest at 24-24 with 4:28 left in the half. Drake missed five-straight shots during the run and committed three turnovers during that span to let Nebraska back into the game. However, Drake's offense got back in gear, outscoring Nebraska 14-2 over the final four minutes of the half to take a 38-26 lead into the locker room.
That momentum continued after halftime. Aside from a brief minute early in the third quarter, Drake kept the lead in double-digits and a three-pointer from Ashley Iiams late in the third quarter helped keep pace in the period as Nebraska's offense showed its strongest pulse of the day by shooting 46.7 percent in the half.
Iiams's three-pointer was one of many needed contributions from the bench, which scored 16 points and added 16 rebounds. Courtney Becker and Miller were responsible for 14 of those boards. Becker helped push Drake's advantage to 22 points, 73-51, midway through the final quarter to dash any chance Nebraska had to mount a late charge.
"The way we started the game was indicative of our mindset," Suzie Glazer Burt Head Coach Allison Pohlman said after the upset victory. "We started the game sharing the basketball, cutting to score, and getting stops defensively."
When discussing individual standouts, Pohlman said, "She [Gueldner] has really made an impact so far. She's done a phenomenal job on both ends but she's really been the most engaging piece that ties our full team together."
Following the team's second-straight game against a ranked opponent, the Bulldogs travel to Miami, Fla., for two games at the FIU Thanksgiving Classic. Drake takes on UMass in its first game Nov. 25 at 1 p.m. CST.
"The trip will give us a good snapshot of what our conference season will look like, in terms of scheduling," Pohlman continued. "We'll get a good idea of how our team approaches those situations of playing in a different gym and away from home. I do think you can still have fun and dominate on the court, so we'll be ready to play and were excited for the opportunity and experience."
NOTES
Saturday's game marked the first time Drake has squared off against ranked opponents in back-to-back games since 2018.
The Bulldogs' win over No. 22 Nebraska was Drake's first ranked victory since upsetting No. 12 South Carolina 90-85 in overtime at the Vancouver Showcase in 2018.
The blowout victory was also Drake's first over Nebraska since an 83-77 win in Lincoln during the 2018-19 season.
Drake's win was also their first win over a power conference foe since winning at Missouri in the 2022 WNIT.
The 80-62 triumph was Drake's third win since 2015 over a Big Ten team by at least 15 points.
Katie Dinnebier led the Bulldogs in scoring for the second-straight game with 18 points. She also led Drake with six assists.
Maggie Bair netted 17 points, her third double-digit output in as many games. Bair also led the Bulldogs on the glass with nine boards.
Sarah Beth Gueldner scored a season-high 16 points on 4-of-6 three-point shooting.
Freshman Taedyn Gray finished with two points, the first score of her career.
