DES MOINES, Iowa – The North Dakota State women's basketball team dropped a 77-66 decision at Drake on Friday afternoon in front of 6,424 fans at Knapp Center.

After trailing 34-27 at halftime, NDSU (4-5) fought back in the third frame putting together nine straight points to cut the deficit down to five, 43-38, after Heaven Hamling delivered a layup in the paint at the 5:28 mark. Drake (6-3) responded with a 7-0 run of their own close the frame and make the score 57-44 after three quarters of play.

The Bulldogs, who scored 54 points in the paint, then began the fourth quarter growing their largest lead of the contest, 71-53, after Taylor McAulay netted a fastbreak layup with 5:19 to play. The Bison made one final push after Elle Evans knocked down a three-pointer and Hamling added a layup to make the score 71-58 with 4:30 remaining. NDSU wasn't able to trim the deficit down any further and dropped the contest, 77-66.

Hamling reached double digits in scoring for the eighth straight game with a team-best 15 points on 6-of-15 shooting from the field. She also posted a game-high four steals and hauled in two rebounds. Evans recorded double digits in scoring for the fifth straight game with 10 points and five rebounds

As a team, NDSU shot 47.5 percent (28-59) from the field and 54.5 percent (6-11) from the free throw line. The Bison had 10 players reach the scoring column with the bench scoring 20 points.

NDSU will continue its road swing at Iowa State on Sunday. Tip-off is set for 5:00 p.m.