SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Four Lady Panthers score double figures as Drury routs Illinois Springfield in their return to The O'Reilly Family Event Center on Thursday evening, 81-62.
 
A quiet opening minute of the game flipped into a track meet following a Sara Mendel layup. Illinois Springfield would respond with a pair of made threes to take a 6-2 lead.
 
The Prairie Stars would hold their lead throughout the first quarter, with the Lady Panthers battling but trailing 19-16 after the first ten. 12 UIS' 19 points in the quarter came off of Drury turnovers.
 
Drury turned into a different team in the second quarter. Sage Stratton started the quarter on a 4-0 run herself to take the lead. Once the Lady Panthers took the lead, they did not look back.
 
Rhi Gibbons added three more points to start the quarter before UIS got their first point of the second. The Prairie Stars kept tight until a minute left in the half, until Sara Mendel scored the final six points of the half and put Drury up 35-26 at the break.
 
Illinois Springfield came out in the second half playing a zone defense for the first time, allowing the three pointer to be open for the first time in the game. Kaylee King and Audra Pasakarnis would both make one in the quarter en route to a 21-point lead, 57-36, entering the final quarter.
 
The final quarter was once again dominant for the Lady Panthers. Drury grew their lead to 29 before the media timeout. This allowed Kaci Bailey to give Drury's starters rest with another league game tomorrow evening.
 
The Lady Panthers' bench held UIS scoreless for the final 2:46 seconds of the game and extended their advantage to 32 points in the 81-49 win.
 
GAME NOTES

• Drury improves to 21-1 against UIS and 10-0 in The O'.
• The Lady Panthers are now 8-2 in GLVC play and 11-6 overall.
• UIS entered the game averaging 69.4 points per game, but they scored their second-lowest amount of points in a game this season, 49.
• It was the fifth game this season that Drury has held a team under 50-points, four in the month of January.
• Drury is now 6-2 while playing at home this season.
• Drury outrebounded UIS 47 to 30, with 16 of the Lady Panthers boards on the offensive end. 16 offensive rebounds is the most Drury in a game this season.
• The Lady Panthers forced 23 turnovers, tied for the most in a game this season for Drury.
• UIS and Drury both stole the ball 13 times. 13 is the most for Drury since they recorded 10 in the GLVC Tournament last season against Quincy.
• Drury scored 48 points in the paint and 24 points from the bench.
• The Lady Panthers held UIS to 29.6% shooting from the field, which is the third game in a row that Drury has held opponents under 35% from the field.
• Drury shot 47.8% on 67 attempts.
• Sara Mendel led the way for Drury with 16 points and 13 rebounds, her 12th double-double of the season.
• Mendel reached the double-double mark with just under a minute left in the first half after she converted an and-one.
• Rhi Gibbons extended her double-digit scoring streak to 21 games with 11 points.
• Kaylee King was 2-3 from three to add her 14 points. She also went 2-2 from the free-throw line to improve to 14 for 14 this season from the charity stripe.
• Sage Stratton started her fourth consecutive game and scored a career-high 11 points.
• Jazz Gray held the league's second leading scorer, Kayla Rice, to nine points in the game.
• Every active Lady Panther recorded at least two minutes of playing time in the game. No Lady Panther played more than 29 minutes, Jazz Gray.
• The win is the 198th win for Drury in The O'Reilly Family Event Center.
• Kaci Bailey won her 80th career game against her former college teammate, Olivia (Lett) Birt.

 
QUOTABLE
"I think Jazz Gray did a fantastic job defensively tonight," coach Bailey said postgame, "It was great to see everyone get in and give us some rest before the game tomorrow."
 
UP NEXT
After a change in the schedule due to forecasted winter weather, the Lady Panthers will host Indianapolis on Friday evening in The O' at 5:45 pm.
 
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