DES MOINES, Iowa (Interstat) — Abbie Aalsma scored 29 points and Drake used a dominant second half to pull away from Southern Illinois for an 89-75 victory in a Missouri Valley Conference women’s basketball game Friday night at a sold-out Knapp Center.

Aalsma, a 5-foot-9 guard from Waupun, Wisconsin, continued her offensive surge, adding three assists in 34 minutes. She has now scored 59 points in her last two games, following a 30-point performance in a win over Illinois-Chicago. Her scoring, particularly a flurry of drives to the basket, proved instrumental as the Bulldogs turned a tight contest into a comfortable win.

The game’s pivotal stretch came in the third quarter. Leading 39-34 at halftime, Drake opened the second half with an 8-0 run, capped by an Aalsma driving layup off a steal, to extend its lead to 47-34 and force a Southern Illinois timeout. The Salukis never recovered. Drake outscored Southern Illinois 22-15 in the third quarter and then poured in 28 points in the fourth to seal the victory, shooting efficiently in the paint and capitalizing on transition opportunities.

Anna Becker of Drake, a 5-10 guard from Topeka, Kansas, orchestrated the offense with 13 points and a game-high seven assists, while also contributing two blocks. Maggie Taylor, a 6-2 forward from Rapid City, South Dakota, added 12 points and three assists off the bench. Quinn Vice, a 6-4 post player from Bettendorf, Iowa, provided a key interior presence with 11 points.

Southern Illinois, which fell to 3-9 overall, was led by a trio of double-digit scorers. Indya Green, a 5-11 guard from Springfield, Missouri, scored 20 points and grabbed multiple offensive rebounds. Alayna Kraus, a 5-8 guard from Okawville, Illinois, added 18 points, and Jeniah Thompson finished with 16 points and played a team-high 39 minutes. Kayla Cooper of Plano, Texas, chipped in 17 points for the Salukis.

The game was competitive early, featuring seven ties and six lead changes in the first half. Southern Illinois led 16-14 late in the first quarter before Drake closed the period on a 4-0 run to take an 18-16 lead. The Salukis’ last lead came at 22-21 in the second quarter after a 3-pointer from Cooper, but Drake responded with a 7-0 spurt to regain control and entered halftime with a five-point advantage.

Drake’s defense tightened after the break, generating turnovers that fueled its decisive run. The Bulldogs improved to 4-9 overall with the win. The announced attendance was 2,390.

According to Interstat’s ELO system, Drake entered the game with a 98.10 percent probability to win.

Southern Illinois travels to face Northern Iowa on Sunday. Drake’s next game is at Belmont on Jan. 9.