DES MOINES, Iowa – Bradley trailed 16-14 after the first quarter, but Drake made 11-of-14 from the field in the second quarter to pull away as the Bulldogs topped the Braves 78-45 Sunday afternoon at the Knapp Center. 

Sophomore Tamya Sims (Milwaukee, Wis./Oak Creek) scored a team-high 12 points on 5-for-9 shooting and also had two assists, one block and two steals to lead the Braves.  After a 14-point first quarter, Bradley made 11-of-48 over the final 30 minutes and shot 27 percent for the game. 

Bradley held a 17-16 lead in the opening seconds of the second quarter on a Kat Yelle (Geneva, Ill./Geneva/Ohio) three-pointer and the Braves were down one (20-19) with eight minutes left in the period.  Drake had three hoops in a 70-second span and scored nine straight to open a 21-3 run which helped the Bulldogs to a 41-24 halftime lead after going 11-of-14 from the field in the second quarter. 

The Braves held Drake to 22 percent shooting in the third quarter, but the Bulldogs were 9-for-12 from the line and limited Bradley to just three field goals in the stanza as they were able to stretch the lead to 59-32 at the end of the third en route to the 78-45 victory. 

Drake outscored the Braves 42-16 in the paint and Bradley managed just three points off 16 Bulldog turnovers.  On the boards, Drake held a 46-33 rebounding advantage, while shooting 47 percent from the field.

Five Drake players scored in double figures, paced by Lizzy Wendell's 24 points.  Sara Rhine was 8-for-10 from the free throw line and scored 14 points off the bench, while Nicole Miller added 11 points of her own off the bench.  Caitlin Ingle scored 11 points and dished out seven assists and Maddy Dean also finished with 11 points.  The victory moved Drake into a three-way tie for second in the MVC standings, one game behind league-leading Northern Iowa heading into the final week of the regular season. 
 
Bradley closes out the 2015-16 regular season Saturday with a 3 p.m. game at Loyola.