EVANSVILLE, Ind.—After being held in check for most of Saturday afternoon, Drake senior guard Jordann Plummer exploded for nine-straight points to ignite a late 14-2 run by the Bulldogs to power Drake to a 67-53 victory over the host University of Evansville women’s basketball team at Roberts Stadium in Evansville.

 

With Drake clinging to a 46-45 lead following an Amy Gallagher lay-up with 7:46 to play, Plummer began her personal attack on the UE defense with a fast-break lay-up with 5:53 to play to give the Bulldogs a 48-45 cushion.

 

Gallagher would answer back with a pair of free throws just seven seconds later to get UE back within just a single point at 48-47, but Plummer would take over from there to lead Drake to victory. Plummer would hit a three-pointer from the left wing on Drake’s next trip down the floor to extend the lead to 51-47 with 5:23 to play, before adding a lay-up and jumper on the Bulldogs’ next two possessions to take the Drake lead to 55-47 at the under four media timeout. 

 

Plummer would assist on an Amber Wollschlager jumper out of the media timeout to take the Drake lead to double-figures at 57-47, and the Bulldogs would go 10-of-12 from the line the rest of the way to hold off the Purple Aces. Plummer entered the final six minutes of action with just one point to her name, but finished as one of three Bulldogs in double-figures with 12 points, seven assists, five rebounds, and four steals.

 

“That’s a case of a senior really stepping up and willing her team to victory right there,” said UE head coach Misty Murphy. “For much of the afternoon, I thought that we did a great job defensively on Plummer, but she was able to get out in transition and hit a lay-up, and then a three and she just put the team on her back and took them to victory after that.”

 

Wollschlager paced the Drake offense with a game-high 18 points off of the bench on 8-of-12 shooting from the floor. Plummer (12 points) and senior forward Monique’ Jones (11 points) joined her in double-figures for the Bulldogs.

 

The loss by Evansville overshadowed a career game by freshman forward Taylor Ware, as she led the Purple Aces in scoring with 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor in her third start of the year. Ware’s previous single-game scoring high was just six points, which she surpassed not even 12 minutes into Saturday’s contest. Gallagher joined Ware in double-figures with 11 points, while sophomore forward Chelsea Falkenstein chipped in seven points and a game-best 10 rebounds.

 

“I thought that Taylor had an outstanding game today,” said Murphy. “She really looked to be aggressive offensively today and was very active on defense, and hopefully, she can continue to play at this level for us, because she can be a game-changer with her athleticism.”

 

With the victory, Drake improves to 11-5 overall and 4-2 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Evansville, meanwhile, falls to 3-13 overall and 0-5 in the MVC. The Purple Aces will return to action next on Thursday night, as UE will travel to Terre Haute, Indiana to take on long-time rival Indiana State. Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m. central time and Thursday’s game can be heard live on 91.5 F.M.-WUEV.