WICHITA, Kan.--Despite the team's refusal to give up, the Shockers were unable to overcome their slow offensive start and fell to Drake, 65-50.

The Shockers shot just 22 percent in the first half, but stepped it up in the second to over 40 percent. The drastic change would not be enough, however, to push WSU past Drake and avoid the season sweep. 

Sophomore guard Kirstin Turk led all scorers with 15 points with a pair of threes. Junior forward Monique Jones also helped the Bulldogs' cause with a double-double, recording 12 points and 15 rebounds.

For the Shockers, senior forward Daria Frazier led the way with 12 points. She was followed closely by fellow senior Marcy Sudbeck who notched nine points. Each brought down eight rebounds.

Tough defense combined with a slow offensive start to begin the game kept both teams off the scoreboard for the first two minutes. A lay up from sophomore guard Jacie Hoyt gave the Shockers their first bucket.

A three-point play from Jones followed by short jumper from freshman Rachel Hackbarth gave the Bulldogs a 7-3 advantage five minutes into the first half. During that time span, the Shockers were hurt by a 13 percent shooting performance while the Bulldogs benefited from 42 percent shooting accuracy.  

As the Shockers fell into an eight-minute scoring drought, the Bulldogs took advantage. A three-pointer and a jump shot from  Turk highlighted a 12-0 Drake run during the scoring stall, as the Bulldogs stretched their lead, 14-3.

Junior forward Ashley Gladden and sophomore guard Val Siemens snapped the drought when they combined for five-straight points to narrow the gap, 14-8.

The Bulldogs resisted the Shockers' comeback, holding the home team to just 4-of-17 from the floor. In the meantime, they rebuilt their lead. With less than five minutes ?till the break, Drake went up, 20-10, before senior forward Daria Frazier drained a shot from behind the arc to cut into the deficit.

Although the Shockers struggled on first the offensive end in the first half, their defense stepped up. Senior forward Marcy Sudbeck racked up four blocks in the half. Despite shooting just 23 percent, the Shocks held the Bulldogs to just 30 percent in the opening 20 minutes as the half ended in the Bulldogs' favor, 28-17.

Hoyt knocked down a three-pointer as the Shockers kicked off the second half much differently than the first, bring Drake's lead within reach, 28-22. Jones answered with a pair of lay ups to bring the lead back to double-digits.

Renewed after the break, both teams broke into the second half with a hot offensive hand. Five minutes in, the Shockers hit 67 percent of their attempts from the floor while the Bulldogs knocked down 75 percent in that time. Continuing to fight, freshman guard Haleigh Lankster drilled a three and a pair of free throws to bring the Shockers even closer, 34-29.

Relentless, Drake sparked a 8-3 run with Turk's second three of the game and consecutive baskets from Hackbarth, but the Shockers continued to battle. Just after the midway point of the second half, Siemens connected for a three to bring her team within four, 44-40.

Sensing the Shockers at their heels, the Bulldogs sprung into action. Converting offense rebounds into under the basket lay ups, Drake increased the distance, 50-40 with seven minutes to play. In less than four minutes, however, the Bulldogs did what they have had all night. Junior Jordann Plummer dropped nine points to give Drake its largest lead of the evening, 57-40.

Although the Shocker defense kept the turnover margin close?WSU committed 18 to Drake's 15?the Shockers could not win the war on the boards. The Bulldogs grabbed 47 boards while the Shockers brought down 35.

Though Drake's offense would slow to finish right under 40 percent for the game, the damage had been done as the Bulldogs took home the victory, 65-50.

The Shockers are in action again on Sunday, Feb. 8, when they play host to the Creighton Bluejays.

-Wichita State-