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DES MOINES, Iowa—A steal and lay-up by Drake freshman Amber Wollschlager at the buzzer in the first half ignited a 23-5 Drake run which the visiting University of Evansville Purple Aces were never able to recover from on Saturday, as the Bulldogs posted a 69-47 victory over UE at the Knapp Center in Des Moines, Iowa.
Following a jumper by fellow freshman Rachael Hackbarth with seven seconds left in the half, Wollschlager stole UE’s in-bounds pass and beat the buzzer with a jumper to tie the game at 28-28 at the half. Drake then held Evansville to just five points for the first 9:45 of the second half to build a double-digit lead the Bulldogs would never lose.
“That play at the end of the half really swung momentum to Drake,” said UE head coach Misty Murphy. “Instead of being up two going into the break, we were tied, and then Drake came out the aggressor in the second half and really took it to us.”
Drake would shoot an even 50.0 percent from the floor (14-for-28) in the second half, while taking 20 of 27 trips to the foul line after halftime. UE would shoot just 25.9 percent in the second half (7-for-27), while making just five trips to the foul line on the afternoon. UE was out-scored 18-3 from the foul line overall.
Drake senior forward Lauren Dybing led three Bulldogs in double-figures with a career-high 21 points. Sophomore guard Kristin Turk added 14 points off of the bench on 6-of-9 shooting, while Plummer pitched in 11 points and six boards. UE junior guard Amy Gallagher was the lone Purple Ace in double-figures with 12 points, while sophomore forward Stephanie Bamberger added nine points and seven rebounds.
With the victory, Drake extends its winning streak to four games, and the Bulldogs have won 10 out of the last 11 contests to improve to 16-8 overall and 10-3 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Evansville, meanwhile, slips to 9-15 overall and 2-11 in the Valley.
The Purple Aces will now return home for their final home stand of the 2009 season beginning on Thursday night at 7:00 p.m., as UE will host Indiana State (12-11 overall and 8-4 MVC). UE will also host league-leading Illinois State on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. on Senior Night.
