DES MOINES, Iowa – With Longwood women's basketball playing its fourth straight road game, the Lancers ran into a buzz saw at Drake University on Friday night. The Bulldogs broke open a tight contest with a big third quarter to pull away from Longwood 104-82.
 
The Bulldog scoring was evenly spread with Maggie Bair, forward Grace Berg, and point guard Megan Meyer leading the way as five players hit double figures. Bair tallied a team-best 22 points while adding nine rebounds and a pair of blocks. Meyers totaled a season high 19 points of her own, with 14 coming in a strong second half performance.
 
Grace Berg added 16, and fellow teammate Katie Dinnebier orchestrated an efficient offense. Dinnebier had eight assists, and the team posted 29 helpers on 40 made shots with a variety of backdoor cuts. Anna Miller added 10 points and nine rebounds as 11 players scored for a Drake (5-2) team that was picked to finish second in the Missouri Valley Conference.

"There is a lot to learn from this game and we're not discouraged," said head coach Rebecca Tillett. "Drake has been to the tournament 13 times, and we haven't been one time. In order to get there that first time, we have to know what it's like to play at that level, and learn how to play with teams that get there consistently. I don't think we're going to play another team that cuts as well as they do. Our takeaway may be how we can cut better, and how to defend it better, too."
 
For the Lancers (3-4), Akila Smith followed her triple-double against Sam Houston with a double-double against the Bulldogs. She scored a game-high 24, her second straight outing with at least 20 points, to go with 10 rebounds.

"We know that Drake is a good team, so for us, it's about what we can learn," said senior forward Akila Smith. "We knew we were going to come out and it was going to be a challenge for us. It's good to have everybody on the team getting back into that rhythm of scoring, and running the offense smoothly, because that's what we're known for."
 
Kyla McMakin and Tra'Dayja Smith also chipped in on the offensive end. Smith had a season best 19 points, going three-for-three from behind the arc right out of the gate in the first quarter. McMakin had 13 of her 17 points in the first half as the Lancers were in a tight battle going into halftime.

"We've challenged Akila to get back to those rebounding numbers she's known for and she's responded to that, and if you look at her whole stat line, she's just playing at a really elite level right now," said Tillett. "Then, for Tra'Dayja, she really wanted to respond to the Sam Houston game. Anytime great players feel like they didn't play their best in the previous game, you see them make some changes. I thought her coming out and hitting those threes early was her way of saying, 'Hey, im still a great player and you need to guard me tonight.'"
 
The two sides traded blows throughout a furious first quarter. Both sides set a blistering pace, with Drake leading 30-29 despite 10 points from Akila Smith and nine from Tra'Dayja Smith. However, Drake's defense kept Longwood stuck at 56 points in the third quarter and used a 9-2 run to create some separation, ultimately turning a five-point lead into a 20-point advantage.
 
Second chance points and points in the paint proved to be the difference, as Drake posted 62 points in the paint to go with 26 second chance points. That was enough to offset a Longwood defense that nabbed 13 steals, with Kennedy Calhoun setting a career high with six. The freshman has totaled 14 steals over the past three games.

"We didn't put this schedule together to make ourselves feel better," said Tillett. "As long as we keep our mindset on what we're trying to do here – and that is we're trying to come in the Big South and do a lot of damage."

"I think the Drake game taught us a lot about pace, and pacing of the game," said Akila Smith. "I think Drake was a good game for us to play right before Iowa State. Pace, rebounding, defense, and staying persistent."
 
Longwood faces a quick turnaround as it heads to 14^th ranked Iowa State on Sunday, Dec. 5 at 12 p.m. CT/1 p.m. EST.
 
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