Wendell scores 34 and No. 20 Drake women beat Shockers 86-68 (Mar 11, 2017)
MOLINE, Ill. (AP) Lizzy Wendell scored 23 of her season-high-tying 34 points in the second half when No. 20 Drake rallied to beat Wichita State 86-68 on Saturday and advance to the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship game with a record-setting 21st straight victory.
The top-seeded Bulldogs (27-4) were tied for the longest win streak in MVC history with the 2013-14 Wichita State team before beating this season's Shockers for the third time and earning a title-game matchup Sunday with No. 2 seed Northern Iowa.
The Bulldogs scored only 20 points in the first half before breaking away with a 24-point third quarter in their Friday quarterfinal win over Illinois State, and Saturday found themselves trailing the fifth-seeded Shockers 33-27 at halftime. But they scored 37 points in the third quarter, including 13 from Wendell and 12 of Sammie Bachrodt's 14, to lead by 12. They led by as many as 24 in the final quarter.
Caitlin Ingle had 11 assists and 11 points for Drake.
Rangie Bessard scored 27 points with 13 rebounds for the Shockers (15-16).
