DES MOINES, Iowa - North Texas could not overcome a slow start as Kristin Turk scored a team-high 24 points to lead the Drake Bulldogs to a 82-67 win at the Knapp Center. The Mean Green (1-6) was held without a field goal until the 6:47 mark of the first half, missing their first 15 shots of the game as North Texas dropped their sixth straight game.
Denetra Kellum matched the offensive output of Turk with 26 points of her own, the fourth time in her career that she has topped the 20-point mark, but it came in a losing effort.
Neither team played well on offense in the first half but Drake was able to take a 26-19 lead into the break. North Texas ended the game with 27 turnovers, but had 18 in the first half.
North Texas cut the Drake (4-2) lead down to two points at 41-39 with 14 minutes left in the game. However Jasmine Godbolt picked her fourth foul a few minutes later and Drake would blow the game wide open.
The Bulldogs went on a 19-5 run over the next five minutes to open up a 60-44 lead. Drake extended the lead to as many as 21 points at 74-53 with four minutes left in the game.
The Mean Green closed to within 13 with under a minute left but could not get any closer. Godbolt joined Kellum in double figures with 13 points, the seventh straight game she has reached double figures, a career best.
North Texas continues its road trip on Saturday afternoon as they face Mississippi State at 1 p.m.
