DES MOINES, IOWA ? The youth of the Drake women's basketball team was the highlight in the 75-41 win over Minnesota-Duluth in the final exhibition game of the season Thursday night at the Knapp Center..

Coming off the bench, sophomore guard Kristin Turk scored 15 points, freshman guard Brittnye McSparron (Apple Valley, Minn./East View) added 13 points and freshman forward Rachael Hackbarth (Colgate, Wis./Wisconsin Lutheran) grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Drake.

Drake started the game, going up 17-7, but then allowed Minnesota-Duluth to hang around, owning a 32-27 halftime lead.

“At half I talked to the team about needing to focus a little more, tighten up on defense and finish our lay-ups and free-throws,” said Drake Head Coach Amy Stephens.

The Drake bench scored 51 points, including 32 in the second half.

“I thought our depth really was a real bright spot tonight,” said Stephens. “We had a lot of players step into the game and we didn't miss a step.”

The Bulldogs came out in the second half on an 18-0 run, sparked by five points from Turk and four points from senior Lauren Dybing (Bloomington, Minn./St. Croix Lutheran) and four from freshman guard Amber Wollschlager (Milbank, S.D.).

Drake shot 52.6 percent from the floor, hitting 30 of 57 shots, including 56.7 percent in the second half. Drake also dominated the boards, owning a 40-29 advantage.

Junior guard Jordann Plummer (St. Louis, Mo./Cardinal Ritter) added nine points, followed by Dybing with eight. Hackbarth had seven points and four steals, along with her 10 rebounds.

Defensively, Drake forced 32 turnovers, converting them into to 32 points.

“Our defense was very tough in the second half,” said Stephens. “We also did a great job rebounding and getting to line.”

Drake, the 2007-08 regular-season co-Missouri Valley Conference champions, begins its regular-season schedule with a non-conference game against TexasState, Nov. 14 in the Knapp Center. Game time is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.