Congrats to the Drake Women's Basketball team!

Last night, Linda and I watched the Bulldogs win their third consecutive home game, 64-52 over Creighton at the Knapp Center. The ladies have struggled but were on the mark last night. They were often patient and sometimes lucky; time after time, as the shot clock was running out, Drake was cashing in a quality shot. Throughout the first half, Drake steadily built their lead into double digits. The second half rallies were fought off and Drake had their eighth win of the season.

One of the particularly fun aspects of the evening was the new and improved Spike, mascot of the Bulldogs. Early in the year, Spike was pretty low energy and a bit full-bodied. Recently Linda and I saw the unveiling of a leaner, meaner Bulldog mascot; even his costume coloration was changed from all grey to grey with white highlights. Upon further review we recognized that the highlights were consistent with the published logos but getting used to the new look has taken a while. Last night, we were both impressed with his involvement with the crowd and activity on and around the court.

One of the great things about going to Drake women's basketball is the number of kids that show up and how they're engaged in the event. I've mentioned before that the sideline and endline of the court are lined by lines of kids who get running high-fives by the starters as introduced. Throughout the rest of the evening, small games, crowd shots, and freebies keep the energy high (along with the pitch of their screams!) It's really a very nice setting for an event.