Drake got surprised on Sunday. The Bulldogs, preseason picks to win the Missouri Valley Conference, dropped an 80-78 decision at home to Wichita State--their first conference loss. Because of that, Illinois State coach Jenny Yopp figures her team will face a focused Drake team starting at 7:05 p.m. Thursday in Redbird Arena.
Drake is one of the top teams in the country and suffered a loss they probably werent expecting, said Yopp. We know they will be focused. Certainly, they have an athletic team which creates excellent opportunities for players to score from every position.
Scoring has been a problem for Yopps Redbirds, 2-10 overall, 0-3 in the Valley, in recent times. Averaging just 54 points per game and shooting below 37 percent from the field, both Drake coach Lisa Stone and Yopp believe the Birds are capable of better.
Theres a lot of talent on the Illinois State team, said Stone, whose team is 9-4 overall, 3-1 in the Valley and has faced one of the 10 toughest schedules in the nation this season. I dont think their record is indicative of that talent. You look at players like
Steph Reichle and
Stacey White and
Taren O'Brien,
Kristi Larson and
(Katie) Donovan. They are a dangerous team because of that talent and because were supposed to win. Well need a great effort to win at Redbird Arena.
Weve talked about what we value (early in the week), said Yopp. The great thing is that every player and coach understands what its going to take for us to be successful. Its one thing to talk the talk; now we have to walk the walk. Our scoring needs to be more consistent and our players need to play with confidence.
That Redbird confidence took a blow during a second-half blowout Sunday at Bradley.
I think our players will be ready for Drake, said Yopp. Bradley is an up-and-coming team which has surprised people with their aggressiveness and success. Our players know about Drake and understand that, year-in and year-out, Drake is one of the strongest teams in our conference ... and its a strong conference.
Drakes loss left Creighton, Illinois States next opponent, as the leagues only undefeated team two weeks into the season. The Redbirds and Bluejays meet at 8:05 p.m. Saturday in Redbird Arena in a game which will include halftime ceremonies retiring the jersey of 1970s All-American and Olympic star Charlotte Lewis.
