CHICAGO (Interstat) — Abbie Aalsma scored 30 points and the Drake women’s basketball team used a dominant third-quarter surge to pull away from Illinois-Chicago for a 78-62 victory on Monday afternoon at UIC Pavilion.

The Bulldogs, who entered the game with a 2-9 record, secured just their third win of the season by executing with sharp offensive efficiency, particularly from beyond the arc, while stifling the Flames’ shooting. The game’s decisive stretch came after halftime, turning a narrow four-point Drake lead into a comfortable double-digit advantage.

Drake led 33-31 at intermission in a tightly contested first half. The Flames, who fell to 6-7, had kept pace behind the scoring of Jessica Carrothers. The complexion of the game changed dramatically in the third quarter. Drake opened the period with an 11-2 run, ignited by a 3-pointer from Anna Becker and capped by consecutive baskets from Aalsma. The Bulldogs outscored the Flames 22-12 in the quarter, extending their lead to 55-43 entering the final period.

The Bulldogs’ offensive rating of 112.5 on 69 possessions proved far superior to the Flames’ 89.1 on 70 possessions. The most glaring statistical disparity came from the 3-point line. Drake connected on 12 of 23 attempts from long range, a 52.2% clip, while Illinois-Chicago managed just 1 make on 10 tries. This 33-point advantage from deep was the foundation of the victory.

Aalsma, a 5-foot-9 guard from Waupun, Wisconsin, was the catalyst, playing 35 minutes and adding six assists and four rebounds to her game-high 30 points. She shot 12 of 23 from the field, including 5 of 9 from 3-point range. Her performance was a bounce-back after being held to eight points in 19 minutes in Drake’s previous loss to Minnesota.

She received ample support. Lexi Carlsen added 13 points, while Ava Hawthorne orchestrated the offense with eight assists. Anna Becker just missed a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds. Maggie Taylor contributed six assists and five rebounds.

For Illinois-Chicago, Jessica Carrothers led the way with 26 points on 11-of-24 shooting. The 5-7 guard from Highland, Indiana, also had four rebounds and two assists. No other Flame reached double figures. Post player Magdalena Winter, from Berlin, Germany, finished with eight points, seven rebounds and two assists.

Drake’s ball movement, evidenced by 23 assists on 31 made field goals, consistently generated open looks. Conversely, the Flames struggled to find an offensive rhythm outside of Carrothers’ creation, tallying only five assists as a team. Despite committing only six turnovers compared to Drake’s 12, Illinois-Chicago could not overcome its poor shooting and a significant rebounding deficit, as Drake won the battle on the glass 40-30 and grabbed 10 offensive rebounds.

The win improves Drake to 3-9 overall as it prepares to open Missouri Valley Conference play. The Bulldogs will host Southern Illinois on Friday. Illinois-Chicago, also of the Missouri Valley, will look to regroup when it hosts Northern Iowa on Wednesday.

The game, organized by the Missouri Valley Conference, drew an announced attendance of 374. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Drake with a 62.70 percent probability to win, a forecast the Bulldogs fulfilled with their second-half performance.