KIRKSVILLE, Mo.— The Drury Lady Panthers shot 59 percent from the field and won their fifth straight game with a 92-82 win at Truman State on Saturday in Kirksville, Missouri.
 
Drury improved to 13-4 and 8-3 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, while Truman State dropped to 4-12 and 1-9 in the league.
 
After leading 45-41 at halftime, the Lady Panthers built a 17-point lead in the third quarter before the Bulldogs chipped away. Leading 81-77 with 1:21 remaining, Drury got a three-pointer from Caitlynn Daniels to give her team a seven-point lead and the Lady Panthers hit free throws down the stretch to put the game away.
 
Beth Matas Martin scored a season-high 28 points on 10 of 13 shooting from the field, hit four three-pointers, and added six assists and two steals. Daniels finished with 26 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, while Reese Schaaf scored 18 points and grabbed nine boards.
 
"We stuck to our game plan," said Drury head coach, Kaci Bailey. "They came out and shot the ball really well, but we stuck with our plan and were able to build a lead. We got really stagnant on offense and they came back. But we calmed down and I think we showed our growth with how we handled the game at the end."
 
Drury made 34 of their 57 shots for a 59-percent mark from the field and went 9 for 17 from three-point range. Truman State shot 46 percent, going 29 for 63. The Bulldogs made 10 threes on 28 attempts.
 
Molly Joyce led the Bulldogs with 24 points, while Ellie Weltha had 22 points and 10 boards.
 
The Lady Panthers return home next week and host Quincy on Thursday for a 5:45 pm game at the O'Reilly Family Event Center.
 
 
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