Change to Drake women’s basketball’s practice routine leads to big win against Northern Iowa
As the Drake women’s basketball team struggled through a rare four-game losing streak, Bulldogs coach Allison Pohlman knew she had to make changes.
Pohlman, in her first year leading Drake, altered the team’s practice schedule and had the Bulldogs play four quarters during each of their three workouts this week to simulate game situations they may experience against Northern Iowa.
“I think it just enhances how they think and process the game,” Pohlman said.
The change worked. Drake snapped its four-game losing streak and got an important in-state victory by beating Northern Iowa 65-57 at the Knapp Center Friday night.
Drake improved to 10-8 and 2-5 in Missouri Valley Conference play. The victory was the first for Drake since a win over Evansville back on Jan. 1.
“This is a big game,” said Drake’s Grace Berg. “We’ve had a tough stretch here.”
Everything that could have gone wrong did for Drake during its four-game skid. The Bulldogs dealt with a short-handed roster in losses at Loyola and Valparaiso. Getting back to full strength didn't fix anything. Drake then struggled to get into an offensive rhythm during losses at home to Southern Illinois and Missouri State.
With in-state rival Northern Iowa coming to town and the clock ticking on the Bulldogs' ability to turn the season around, Pohlman knew some adjustments needed to be made.
PREVIOUSLY: Drake women's four-game losing streak come to an end with victory over UNI
Each "quarter" played during practice had a purpose. One would be the final five minutes of the first quarter. Another would be the last two minutes of the second quarter. Pohlman figured by putting her players in game-like situations more, they would be better prepared for those moments when they really mattered. Berg said the team bought in.
“Practice was big,” Berg said. “This week, we had three really, really good practices.”
Here are some takeaways from Friday’s game.
This may be what Drake women's basketball needs
The Bulldogs are running out of time and chances to stay in the hunt for a regular-season conference title. They need a winning streak. Friday’s game was a step in the right direction.
Northern Iowa had made some waves as a possible contender, rattling off three straight victories before coming to Des Moines.
“It kick-starts our confidence level, back to loving the game, back to loving our culture, loving who you’re playing with and back to just really that basketball feel,” Pohlman said.
What about Northern Iowa?
The Panthers have shown promise this season. They nearly picked up a big road win in the non-conference schedule at Iowa State and knocked off Missouri State, the favorite to win the MVC this season.
Take away an ugly start on the defensive end and a stumble at the end of the game, and Friday's game could have gone in the win column for Northern Iowa. The loss was disappointing on multiple levels for Panthers coach Tanya Warren.
“I’m disappointed in our preparation and our mindset, especially coming off of last weekend,” Warren said. “We have the talent to be a championship-caliber team. But we don’t have the mindset, and that’s a huge difference.
"Until we get the mindset, we’re going to see these types of inconsistencies.”
An impressive finish for Drake
Drake was constantly trying to hold off Northern Iowa, and the Panthers briefly took the lead in the fourth quarter.
Drake broke a 57-57 tie by scoring the final eight points of the game. Northern Iowa missed its final seven shots.
“I’m really proud of the resiliency that we showed,” Pohlman said.
Tommy Birch, the Register's sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He's the 2018 and 2020 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468. Follow him on Twitter @TommyBirch.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Drake women's basketball's practice change pays off with win over UNI
