DES MOINES, Iowa - The Drake women's basketball team will try for its first Missouri Valley
Conference win when they host the Illinois State Redbirds tomorrow afternoon.
Tip-off is 2:05 p.m. and you can listen to Ric Silvestrini and Laura Leonard on
KRNT-1350AM or follow live stats at www.godrakebulldogs.com.
DRAKE QUICKLY
-Drake (5-9,
0-3 MVC) is coming off a 67-49 loss at home to Indiana State last night. Kyndal
Clark (Webb City, Mo.) scored a team-high 13 points and pulled down five
rebounds while Carly Grenfell scored 11 points and Morgan Reid (Kansas
City, Mo.) added nine points and 10 rebounds before fouling out.
-The
Bulldogs are trying to avoid its first 0-4 start in MVC play since the 2006-07
season when they dropped their first seven conference games. Drake hadn't lost
an MVC home opener since 2007 when they fell to Indiana State, 84-67.
-Indiana
State, which came into the game holding opponents to a conference-best 50.3
points per game held the Bulldogs to their second lowest scoring output of the
season.
-The 49
points scored snapped an eight-game streak of Drake scoring 60 or more points
in a game. Drake is still scoring 64.1 points per game, up from 56.1 points per
game at the same point last season.
-Drake is
trying to avoid its first four-game losing streak this season.
-The
Bulldogs will hit the road for their next two games; first they travel south to
Springfield, Mo. to face the Missouri State Bears on Saturday, Jan. 19. Tip-off
has been moved to noon that day. They will wrap up their two-game road trip at
Wichita State on Monday, Jan. 21 at 7:05 p.m.
ILLINOIS
STATE QUICKLY
-Illinois
State (10-5, 2-1 MVC) is coming off a 64-45 loss to the Creighton Bluejays last
night in Omaha, Neb. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the
Redbirds.
-The
Redbirds opened MVC play with wins over Bradley and Northern Iowa at home. It's
the third straight-year that the Redbirds started Valley play 2-0.
-Janae
Smith is leading the Redbirds at 16.1 points per game, which ranks second in
the conference. Candace Sykes is averaging 13.6 and Jamie Russell 13.3 points
per game, respectively. Skyes is ninth and Russell is 11th in
scoring average in the Valley.
-Illinois
State is first in the MVC in rebounding margin at +5.3 and they average 41.5
rebounds per game. The Redbirds are second in the conference in free-throw
shooting at 75.8 percent.
DRAKE VS ISU
Drake holds
a slight advantage, 33-32, in the all-time series between the two schools.
Drake and Illinois State first met on Dec. 7, 1981 in a game won by the
Bulldogs, 74-53, in Des Moines. The two schools have faced each other at least
twice annually since 1984. Both teams have had significant runs on each other
with Drake winning 14-straight games from 1997-2004. ISU snapped that streak
with a 57-54 win in Normal on Feb. 8, 2004 and has won 13 of 18 contests since.
Drake is 18-12 all-time against ISU in Des Moines and defeated ISU, 56-54, in
the quarterfinals of the MVC championship last season in St. Charles, Mo.
HIGH PACED OFFENSE
Drake
scored a season-high 80 points in the win at Milwaukee last Saturday. The
Bulldogs connected on a season-high 33 field goals and finished a season-best
51.6 percent from the floor. Four Bulldogs scored in double figures with
another finishing with nine points and another with eight points against the
Panthers. Drake's 37 first half points Saturday equaled its highest first-half
point total of the season, which occurred against South Dakota in the opener,
and its 43 second-half points Saturday against the Panthers were a season-high.
BOUNCING BACK
Drake
finished the month of the November with a 1-4 overall record but fared better
in the month of December. The Bulldogs won 4-of-6 with one loss coming in
overtime at North Dakota to improve their record to 5-6.
715!
The Bulldogs
win over Saint Louis was the 715th 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 40th
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 a team-leading 13.3
points and two steals per game this season. In addition she is pulling down 4.6
rebounds per game and dishing out 3.3 assists per game, both marks are second
on the team. The sophomore has scored in double figures in all but two games
this season and along with Whitney Edie of Missouri State are the only players
in the MVC to accomplish this feat.
STEPPING UP
Junior
guard Alyssa Marschner (Plymouth,
Minn.) has started every game this year after only playing 56 minutes all of
last season. Marschner scored a
career-high 16 points in the win at Milwaukee to go along with five rebounds
and three assists. She is averaging 6.1
points, 4.1 rebounds and a conference leading 4.9 assists per game. Her assists
per game average ranked 49th in the country going into the Indiana State game.
RISE AND FIRE
Redshirt
sophomore Carly Grenfell (York,
Neb.) is burning up the nets this season shooting 43 percent from the floor,
which is 11th in the MVC and 39 percent from behind the three-point
line, which ranks fifth in the Valley and 40th in the nation heading into the
Indiana State game. Grenfell is averaging 8.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game
and has knocked down a team-high 28 threes this year.
DEAD ON
Stephanie Running (Oak Creek, Wis.),
the lone senior on the team, is shooting 49 percent (46-of-94) from the floor
this season, which is tied for fourth in the MVC. Running is averaging 7.4
points and 3.6 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 47-of-65 (72 percent) from
the charity stripe this season and her makes and attempts lead the Bulldogs.
She has improved her percentage from last season in which she shot 68 percent
from the line.
WELCOME
Two of
the five newcomers on the 2012-13 roster play significant minutes off the bench
this year for the Bulldogs. Freshman Ashley
Bartow (Verona, Wis.) along with junior college transfer Mary Pat Specht (Shawnee, Kan.)
average the most minutes played of any of the non-starters at 16.6 and 21.4,
respectively. Bartow's best game was the win at Milwaukee, where the Wisconsin
native scored a career-high eight points and pulled down a career-high 11
rebounds. Specht, the Bulldogs top shooter off the bench, has knocked down 19-of-56
(34 percent) behind the arc this season.
CALL THE POLICE
The
Drake Bulldogs have swiped 47 steals in the last five games had 12 in each of
the games against Milwaukee and Southern Illinois. Clark and Reid each swiped a
career-high six steals in the wins over North Dakota State and Milwaukee,
respectively.
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.
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.
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 Monday, Jan. 21 due to the Drake at Wichita State
women's basketball game that night at 7:05 p.m.
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 and February 5 and women's basketball
luncheons: 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. 27th-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.
