Rockhurst Hawks women’s basketball ends Drury’s 42-game Division II winning streak

The Rockhurst Hawks women’s basketball team busted several streaks Tuesday night with its 75-69 victory over Drury in Springfield.

It was the first loss in 42 games for the Panthers, the top-ranked team in NCAA Division II, and was the Hawks’ first win over Drury since 2001, ending a 39-game slide.

“I had a good feeling that we could win tonight,” Rockhurst coach Larry Park said after the game. “Our players were fired up and ready to go. We were very confident.”

Drury hadn’t lost since the 2019 NCAA semifinals against eventual national champion Lubbock Christian, ending that season 35-1. Drury was 32-0 last season before the coronavirus pandemic canceled the NCAA Tournament.

The NCAA Division II record for consecutive victories is 73, set by Ashland from 2016-18. Ashland beat Drury in the 2018 Midwest Regional final before losing to Central Missouri in that year’s national title game.

Keegan and Daly Sullivan led the Hawks (7-5) with 21 points each. Monika Faerber put up a double-double with 16 points and 21 rebounds.

Drury (10-1) trailed 21-2 in the first quarter and 38-25 at halftime but tied the score with 6:08 left in the game following a 10-0 run. Faerber scored the next four points, however, and the Hawks led the rest of the way.

”This was a great team effort. Our defense was stellar. We did a job of rotating. We boarded every shot and just played with great energy,” Park said.