SPORTS BRIEFS: Eighth grade girls basketball, Drake University basketball

Eighth grade girls win at Ottumwa-Evans

The Fairfield eighth grade girl?s basketball team took its show on the road Tuesday at Ottumwa-Evans.

The A team won 62-20 and outscored the Bulldogs 38-8 in the second half. Nicole Buch led the team with 25 points. Ashtyn Drish scored 11 points and Alie Kensett had seven. Sophie Allen and Kristen Daugherty each had six points.

?We actually started off pretty good, but knew we could do better in the second half,? coach Derek Evans said. ?The girls came out and were more patient on offense, made better passes, and just plain out hustled Ottumwa. I couldn?t be more proud of this group and their ability to make those adjustments.?

The B team then came away with a 29-10 victory. The defense only gave up two points in the second half. Ashley Pool had 11 points and Katrina Cecchini had six. Abbey Gridley chipped in with four.

?It was a nice balanced effort tonight,? Evans said. ?We moved the ball well, ran the floor, and got a lot of steals. Another great effort by these girls.?

Their next game is Monday against Fort Madison and will be played at Fairfield Middle School.

Drake bludgeons Iowa Wesleyan in rout

DES MOINES (AP) ? Blake Danielak, in just his second college basketball game, scored 18 points to pace Drake in a 104-49 win over Iowa Wesleyan on Tuesday night.

The Bulldogs (2-0) used a 16-2 run midway through the first half to open up a 31-9 lead and never looked back. They took a 53-22 advantage into halftime.

Danielak shot 7 of 10 from the field, including 4 of 7 from behind the 3-point line. He added six rebounds and four assists in just 20 minutes of action.

Drake made 39 of 61 (63.9 percent) field goals and dished out 25 assists as a team. The Bulldogs committed just five turnovers and outscored the Tigers 30-6 in the paint.

Dion Lightner was the lone Iowa Wesleyan player in double figures, finishing with 10 points.

The game served as an exhibition for the Tigers, who will open their regular season on Saturday night.