Drake women's basketball ends losing streak with victory over Northern Iowa
After the final seconds ticked way, members of the Drake women's basketball team ran over to the center of the Knapp Center and began handing out high-fives.
This was a long awaited celebration.
Drake snapped its four-game losing streak and got a much-needed win — finally — with a 65-57 victory over in-state rival Northern Iowa at the Knapp Center Friday night. Drake improved to 10-8 on the season and 2-5 in Missouri Valley Conference play. The victory also ended a three-game winning streak for Northern Iowa, which fell to 10-6 on the season and 3-2 in MVC play.
The win has been a long time coming for the Bulldogs, who have marred in a historically struggling stretch. The four-game losing streak was the first for Drake since the 2013-14 season. A fifth-straight loss would have been the first since the 2013-14 season, which was the first season for former coach Jennie Baranczyk, who left for Oklahoma. But the Bulldogs finally got back on track by beating Northern Iowa for the sixth-straight time in Des Moines.
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It didn't come easy, though. The game included four ties and and three lead changes. The bulk of the battling came in the fourth quarter with the two teams trading basket after basket during a frantic ending. Northern Iowa's Karli Rucker tied the game 57-57 with a layup with 2 minutes and 26 seconds remaining.
After that, it was all Drake. The Bulldogs took the lead back 12 seconds later on a jumper by Anna Miller. The Panthers never scored again at Drake scored the final eight points of the game and finished off the win.
Tommy Birch, the Register's sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He's the 2018 and 2020 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468. Follow him on Twitter @TommyBirch.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Drake women's basketball takes down Northern Iowa for much-needed win
