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Drake’s men’s basketball looked to add another win to the Missouri Valley Conference record and continue its winning streak at home Wednesday. The Bulldogs’ opponent, Missouri, wanted to sweep Drake in regular season play for the second straight season.
The Bears topped Drake 65-62 in overtime.
Missouri State opened the scoring when Jonathan Mogbo stole the ball from Roman Penn and dunk it to put the Bears on the board. Penn scored on Drake’s next possession until Tucker’s DeVries added his 3-pointer to give the Bulldogs the lead, which they would not relinquish until the end of the first half.
Drake went into the locker room with a comfortable 13-point lead at halftime, but Missouri swung in the second half.
The Bears took the lead with less than five minutes remaining, but Darnell Brody kept Drake alive. Missouri returned to the top and stayed there until he had 52 seconds left on the clock. DeVries missed Drake’s final try and the two teams went into overtime on 56.
Both teams went back and forth in overtime, but Missouri held off the home team to give Drake his first home loss of the season.
Donovan Clay and Brian Trimble Jr. each scored 16 points for the Bears. DeVries led the Bulldogs with his 26 points.
hard work to maintain
Saturday’s Bulldogs’ game against Bradley was a perfect example of what a win looks like when the Bulldogs combine the two halves, as well as Drake bringing solid offense and defense out on the court at the same time.
Drake got off to a strong start again on Wednesday. This time it was against him one of the lowest scoring offenses in the conference. At one point in the first half, the Bulldogs held a 14-point lead and went to the locker room with a double-digit advantage.
But things fell apart.
The Bulldogs failed to make a field goal over four minutes to start the second half. DeVries picked up his two free throws in that span, but the Bears were able to sharply shave Drake’s lead.
Missouri tied the game with less than six minutes to play and took its first lead since the first half less than a minute later.
In the first half, Drake rebounded Missouri State 15-13. The Bears turned the ball over 10 times while the Bulldogs turned it over 6 times. Drake recorded four stolen bases. Missouri had three of him.
The late stats tell a different story.
Drake shot 30% from the field and Missouri State completed 54.2% of its attempts. The Bears rebounded the Bulldogs to his 14-11 lead and scored 4 steals. Drake rolled the ball his six times, which was two more for him than his opponent.
The Bulldogs performed no better in overtime, shooting 28.6% from the field and going 0-for-2 on 3-point attempts.
DeVries Brings Defense
Tucker DeVries was by far the best player on the court for the first 10 minutes of the game. He shot his 50% from the field and early on he scored 8 points. That success continued until the final buzzer, where he had 26 points and he had 5 rebounds against Missouri sophomore year.
But what was lost in his offensive success was how influential DeVries was on defense.
He smoothed through the first 10 minutes relentlessly end-to-end, containing what could have been a pivotal moment for Missouri State. He paired with Penn in the corner, eventually leading to a Bears turnover.
Without his early play, the Bulldogs may not have been able to build a first-half lead. This became a clutch as Missouri State closed the gap to start the second half.
Alyssa Hertel is a College Sports Recruiting Writer for the Des Moines Register. Contact her Alyssa at [email protected] or on her Twitter. @Alyssa Hertel.
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