MILWAUKEE, Wis. - The Drake women's basketball team will finish its non-conference schedule with a contest at Milwaukee Saturday afternoon. Tip-off between the Bulldogs and the Panthers will be at 3 p.m. and you can listen to Ric Silvestrini on KRNT-1350AM or follow live stats at www.godrakebulldogs.com.

DRAKE QUICKLY

-Drake (4-6) plays its final non-conference game when it travels to Milwaukee, Wis. to face the Milwaukee Panthers Saturday afternoon.

-The Bulldogs are coming off a 61-55 win over the Saint Louis Billikens on Friday, Dec. 21 at the Knapp Center. Three Bulldogs scored in double figures in the win led by junior Morgan Reid (Kansas City, Mo.) who had 13 points and two rebounds while Carly Grenfell (York, Neb.) scored 12 points and pulled down a team-high six boards and Kyndal Clark (Webb City, Mo.) added 10 points.

-Clark leads Drake with 13.3 points per game, which ranks 13^th in the Missouri Valley Conference and is averaging two three pointers made per game.

-Reid is the other Bulldog averaging in double figures as the forward scores 11.1 points per game while pulling down a team-leading 7.6 rebounds per game.

-Drake is averaging 63.7 points per game, which is over five points (58.6) more per game than it did a year ago at this point.

-Drake is shooting 72.4 percent (134-of-185) from the free throw line so far this season, which is over five percent better than last season at this point. The Bulldogs rank third in the Valley in free throw shooting.

-The Bulldogs have four Wisconsin natives on their roster led by senior Stephanie Running (Oak Creek, Wis.) and freshmen Ashley Bartow (Sun Prairie, Wis.), Alexis Eckles (Milwaukee, Wis.) and Dilonna Johnson (Milwaukee, Wis.).

-Bartow has helped spark the Bulldogs off the bench this season, appearing in every game in her first season and she has scored in every game but two.

-After Saturday's game the Bulldogs will start MVC play on the road at Evansville on Thursday, Jan. 3 at 7:00 p.m.

MILWAUKEE QUICKLY

-Milwaukee (4-7) will try to end its three-game losing streak Saturday afternoon.

-The Panthers are led by first-year head coach Kyle Rechliz, who was hired from the University of Wisconsin where she was a standout player from 1998-2002. Rechliz spent one season as an assistant coach at Wisconsin after spending the four previous seasons at Dayton University.

-Milwaukee was tabbed to finish seventh in the preseason Horizon League poll by the league's coaches, sports information directors and media members.

-The Panthers return four starters and 10 letterwinners from last season, including four of the top

five scorers and two of the top three rebounders.

-This season junior guard Angela Rodriguez is the Panthers leading scorer at 15.0 points per game while senior forward Sami Tucker averages 12.6 points and a team-high 6.2 rebounds per game.

-UWM is hitting at a 37.8 percent clip (99-of-262) from long distance so far to lead the Horizon

League. To rank that nationally, UWM finds itself an impressive 11th in the country in 3-point field goal percentage (in last NCAA stats update) and second in 3's made per game (9.4, with leader at 10.0).

-Drake and Milwaukee have four common opponents this season (Chicago State, Bradley, Illinois State and North Dakota State). The Panthers defeated Chicago State and Bradley and lost to Illinois State and North Dakota State. The win over Bradley was a double overtime thriller, 116-112, that saw the Panthers shatter many school records including most points in a game.

-Saturday's game will be just the third home contest for the Panthers so far this season.

DRAKE VS MILWAUKEE  

Saturday's contest will be the sixth contest between the two schools with Drake winning all five matchups. The Bulldogs defeated the Panthers last season, 63-51, at the Knapp Center behind Rachael Hackbarth who scored a game-high 20 points and pulled down 11 rebounds.

715!

The Bulldogs win over Saint Louis was the 715^th in school history. The Drake women's basketball program first started in 1974-75 finishing 10-10 under the direction of Carol Baumgarten. The 2013-14 season will be the 40^th anniversary of Drake women's basketball.

KYNDALING PART TWO

Kyndal Clark (Webb City, Mo.), a member of the 2012 MVC All-Freshmen team, is averaging 13.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.7 steals through Drake's first ten games. She finished with an impressive stat line in the win over North Dakota State earlier this season finishing with 11 points, six rebounds, six steals and five assists. Clark is one of just four MVC players to score in double figures in all but one game this season and is the 13^th leading scorer in the conference.

DROPPING DIMES

Junior guard Alyssa Marschner (Plymouth, Minn.) has started every game for the Bulldogs this season and averages 5.2 points per game. The Minnesota native only played 56 minutes all of last season, but this year is averaging 29.7 minutes, 4.4 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game. Her assists average is tops in the Valley and was 32^nd in the nation (in last NCAA stats update).

RISE AND FIRE

Redshirt sophomore Carly Grenfell (York, Neb.) is burning up the nets this season shooting 46 percent from the floor and 43 percent from behind the three-point line, which ranked 16th in the nation (in last NCAA stats update). Grenfell is averaging 8.9 points and 2.9 rebounds per game and has knocked down a team-high 22 treys this year. 

DEAD ON

Stephanie Running (Oak Creek, Wis.), the lone senior on this season's roster, is shooting 48 percent (35-of-73) from the floor this season, which ranks fifth in the MVC. Running is averaging 7.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.

IMPROVEMENT AT THE LINE

Junior forward Morgan Reid (Kansas City, Mo.) knocked down 10 free throws on 12 attempts, both career highs, in the loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes. The Kansas City, Mo. native is 39-of-50 (78.0) from the charity stripe this season and her makes and attempts lead the Bulldogs. She has improved her percentage by over 10 percent from last season (66.7) and is 11^th in the Valley in free-throw shooting percentage.

CALL THE POLICE

The Bulldogs swiped 10 steals in each of their games last week against North Dakota State and North Dakota. The mark is a season-high for the Bulldogs, who average six steals per game. Clark swiped a career-high six steals against NDSU.

DOUBLING UP

In its win over Chicago State, Drake pulled down a season-high 58 rebounds. The total doubled Chicago State's 29 boards. Drake pulls down a league-high 30.6 defensive rebounds per game and its rebounding margin (2.9) is third in the league.

CAREER NIGHTS

Sophomore Liza Heap (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) played her best game against South Dakota in the season opener recording career-highs in points (12) and rebounds (5) in just 28 minutes. Her previous career-high was four points. Against Iowa State, fellow sophomore forward Cara Lutes (Maplewood, Minn.) scored a career-high 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting in just 17 minutes. Lutes' previous career-high was four points.

WELCOME

All five newcomers on the 2012-13 roster have seen minutes so far this year. Freshmen Emma Donahue (Naperville, Ill.) and Ashley Bartow (Verona, Wis.) along with junior college transfer Mary Pat Specht saw the court against South Dakota in the opener. Drake's other two newcomers, Alexis Eckles (Milwaukee, Wis.) and Dilonna Johnson (Milwaukee, Wis.) played in the Bulldogs' second game of the season.

NEW BEGINNINGS

Former University of Iowa standout and Des Moines native, Jennie Baranczyk is in her first season as head women's basketball coach at Drake University. Baranczyk is the sixth Drake women's basketball head coach in school history and comes to Drake after a two-year stint as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of Colorado. Baranczyk also served as an assistant coach at Kansas State and Marquette.

POSTSEASON SUCCESS

This is the first head coaching position for Baranczyk, but she brings an impressive postseason resume as a player and assistant coach, having reached postseason play every season. She also captured two Iowa high school state titles at Dowling Catholic. Baranczyk has coached in two NCAA tournaments and has won two WNIT championships as an assistant coach (Kansas State in 2006 and Marquette in 2008). At Iowa, she played in three NCAA tournaments and one WNIT and helped Iowa win the 2001 Big Ten Tournament.

ONLY ONE

With the loss to South Dakota in the opener, Carol Baumgartner, who was the program's first head coach, remains the only Drake head coach to win her debut. The Bulldogs beat the Iowa Hawkeyes, 78-65 on November 20, 1974 in the program's first ever game.

COACHING STAFF

Baranczyk's first hire as head coach was retaining veteran assistant coach Allison Pohlman. Pohlman has been an assistant at Drake since the 2007-08 season. Former Chipola College head coach and Iowa native David Lane was hired as an assistant coach. Courtney Graham who coached at Holy Cross for three seasons was the final assistant hired by Baranczyk. Former Iowa State standout Kelsey Bolte is the new coordinator of basketball operations for the Bulldogs.

HIGH SCORING STAFF

Baranczyk (Iowa), Bolte (Iowa State), Pohlman (Northern Iowa) and Graham (Mississippi St.) all played Division I basketball and the four scored 4,963 points combined. Baranczyk scored 1,762 career points followed by Bolte (1,639), Pohlman (1,463) and Graham (99).

REWIND

The Drake Bulldogs finished the 2011-12 season at 18-16, 9-9 MVC and lost in the first round of the WNIT to South Dakota. Drake won seven of its last eleven games to close the regular season and advanced to the postseason for the first time since the 2007-08 season. Drake won three games (Evansville, Illinois State, Wichita State) in three days to advance to the MVC tournament title game before falling to Creighton. The Bulldogs' 18 wins were the most since the 2008-09 season.

2012-13 SCHEDULE

Drake will play 11 non-conference games with home games against South Dakota (Nov. 11), Illinois Chicago (Nov. 18), Chicago State (Dec. 2), Iowa (Dec. 16), Saint Louis (Dec. 21) it also travels to Iowa State (Nov. 27), North Dakota State (Dec. 6), North Dakota (Dec. 8) and Milwaukee (Dec. 29). Iowa and Iowa State both were NCAA tournament participants in 2011-12. A trip to the New Mexico State Tournament in Las Cruces, N.M. with matchups against UC Irvine (Nov. 23) and George Mason or New Mexico State (Nov.24) is also scheduled. MVC play will start Jan. 3, 2013 when the Bulldogs visit Evansville. Drake will again play a round-robin 18 game conference slate.

DRAKE IN SEASON-OPENERS

The loss to the Coyotes gives the Bulldogs a 23-16 overall record in 39 debut games, dating back to the program's first game on Nov. 20, 1974 - a 78-65 home victory over Iowa. Drake dropped its season opener last year at Illinois at Chicago, 61-48.

DEPARTED

The Bulldogs will have a large hole to fill in 2012-13 with the graduation of 2012 Jackie Stiles Player of the Year, Rachael Hackbarth. Hackbarth had one of the greatest seasons in school history. In addition to the conference player of the year award she was named Honorable Mention on the Associated Press All-America team and finished her career as the tenth all-time scorer in school history with 1,161 points. She also led the entire nation with 26 double-doubles.

BULLDOGS PICKED NINTH

The Drake women's basketball team was picked to finish ninth in the Missouri Valley Conference's annual preseason poll, the conference announced Monday. Creighton received 26 of 40 first-place votes and 382 total points, out-distancing Wichita State (347). Illinois State (323), UNI (272) and Missouri State (265) followed the Bluejays to round out the top-five. Bradley (144), Indiana State (135), Southern Illinois (123), Drake (121) and Evansville (119) made up the lower half of the poll.

COACHES RADIO SHOW

The Drake Basketball Coaches' Radio Show with Jennie Baranczyk and Mark Phelps will be broadcast live from Rock Bottom, 4508 University Avenue in West Des Moines on Monday nights at 7:00 p.m. through March 4. There will be no show on December 24 and 31.

BULLDOG BREAKDOWN

This year, Drake Women's Basketball will hold a game day event, Bulldog Breakdown, prior to each home game. One of the assistant coaches will meet with Bulldog fans in the Paul F. Morrison Room before tip-off to break down the opponent, share the game plan for that day's game, and give an inside look at the team's preparation and keys to the game. Doors to the Morrison Room will open one hour before the game, and a member of the basketball staff will share his or her comments approximately 40 minutes before tip-off. Concessions will be available for purchase (cash only) just outside the Morrison Room. Fans may continue to enjoy the pre-game excitement after the Bulldog Breakdown and are asked to make their way to their seats with 10 minutes left on the pre-game warm-up clock to get ready to cheer on your team.

BASKETBALL LUNCHEONS

The Drake Basketball Coaches' Luncheons have returned to Overtime, located at 4810 86th Street in Urbandale. The luncheon costs $12 per person and runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on the following dates: men's luncheons: January 22, February 5 and women's basketball luncheons: January 8, and February 19.

DRAKE HEAD COACH JENNIE BARANCZYK

Former University of Iowa standout and Des Moines native, Jennie (Lillis) Baranczyk (pronounced bah-rahn-check) was named the sixth head women's basketball coach at Drake University on April 17, 2012.

Baranczyk, 30, comes to Drake after a two-year stint as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of Colorado, where she was on the staff of head coach Linda Lappe, a former Drake assistant coach. Prior to Colorado, Baranczyk was an assistant coach for four seasons at Marquette after two seasons as an assistant coach at Kansas State.

Baranczyk helped recruit and develop numerous all-conference student-athletes at all three schools and was instrumental in Colorado securing the No. 27^th-ranked 2012 recruiting class by ESPN HoopGurlz. At Colorado, she coached All-Big 12 first-team forward Brittney Spears and All-Pac-12 guard Chucky Jeffrey as well as Pac-12 all-freshman team members Lexy Kresl and Jen Reese. On the floor she has had a coaching emphasis in the development of the post player's at all three schools.

Baranczyk has reached postseason tournament play every season as a player and coach. She has coached in two NCAA tournaments and has won two WNIT championships as an assistant coach (Kansas State in 2006 and Marquette in 2008). At Iowa, she played in three NCAA tournaments and one WNIT and helped Iowa win the 2001 Big Ten Tournament.

A three-time captain at Iowa, Baranczyk, was a four-year letterwinner at forward from 2000-04 under Bluder. One of the best all-around players in Hawkeye basketball history, she was a three-time All-Big Ten Conference selection, earning first-team honors as a junior in 2003 and second-team honors as a sophomore in 2002 and as a senior in 2004.

She graduated as the only player in Iowa history in the top 10 of five major statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks, and is one of only two Hawkeye players to score more than 1,700 points and grab 800 rebounds.

Baranczyk graduated from Iowa in 2004 with her bachelor's degree in Communication Studies and from Kansas State with her master's degree in Counseling and Student Development in 2007. At Iowa, she was the recipient of the 2004 Big Ten Conference's Medal of Honor.  First awarded in 1914, the Big Ten's oldest award is given annually to a student in the graduating class of each university that demonstrated proficiency in scholarship and athletics. Baranczyk was also a three-time Academic All-Big Ten pick, a WBCA Scholarship Award recipient, CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree, and a Collegiate Basketball Award for Excellence semifinalist as a senior in 2004.

In her prep career, she helped Dowling Catholic in Des Moines win state championships in 1998 and 2000 and she is a member of the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union Hall of Fame.

On the date of her hire, Baranczyk was the second youngest Division I head women's basketball coach.

Jennie's father, Terry played college baseball and basketball at Simpson College and her brother, Brian played college basketball at the University of Albany in New York.

Jennie and her husband, Scott Baranczyk, were married in May 2009 and have a son, Eli, who was born on May 8, 2012.