LYNCHBURG, Va. – Behind a combined 49 points from seniors Reed Timmer (New Berlin, Wis.) and Graham Woodward (Edina, Minn.), the Drake University men's basketball rallied to defeat Wake Forest, 77-74, in the Bulldogs' first game at the Paradise Jam.

"What a phenomenal job, I'm so proud of our guys," said first-year Drake head coach Niko Medved. "Every time we got down, our guys didn't quit. We stayed together and competed. The guys made unbelievable plays."

Timmer's 29 points came on 9-of-15 shooting and a 6-of-8 night from the three-point arc in a game where the Bulldogs shot 15-of-30 from three-point range. Woodward added five three-pointers for the second-straight game to account for his 20 points. De'Antae McMurray (Alton, Ill.) and Casey Schlatter (Iowa Falls, Iowa) each had seven rebounds to help the undersized Bulldogs outrebound the Demon Deacons, 37-33.

Wake Forest was led by 7-footer Doral Moore's 17 points and 17 rebounds.

The Bulldogs faced a pair of 10-point second-half deficits and used an 11-0 run to take a 63-62 lead with 5:19 remaining in the contest on a four-point play from Woodward. Woodward continued to make big shots to keep the Demon Deacons at bay until the Bulldogs took the lead for good with 3:55 left on a pair of free throws from Timmer. WFU had one final shot to tie the game, but their last-second three-pointer was off the mark to give the Bulldogs the opening round victory over an Atlantic Coast Conference foe.

With the win, the Bulldogs advance to face Colorado in the Paradise Jam semifinals at 7:30 p.m. CST Saturday, Nov. 18. The Buffaloes advanced with a 70-69 win over Quinnipiac on a buzzer-beating three-pointer.