LYNCHBURG, Va. – Behind six players in double-figure scoring, the Drake University men's basketball team outlasted Drexel, 90-88, in a double-overtime thriller at the Paradise Jam.
With the win, the Bulldogs secured third place in the eight-team event with a 2-1 record in their three games. De'Antae McMurray (Alton, Ill.) led the Bulldogs with 23 points on 8-of-18 shooting and a steal on Drexel's final possession to seal the victory.
Nick McGlynn (Stoughton, Wis.) had his second-straight double-double for the Bulldogs with a career-high 16 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks. C.J. Rivers (Cahokia, Ill.) nearly notched a double-double with 10 points and nine boards while Reed Timmer (New Berlin, Wis.), Ore Arogundade (Chicago, Ill.) and Graham Woodward (Edina, Minn.) completed the sextet of Bulldogs scoring in double digits.
"We can learn a lot from this weekend and these guys showed a lot of grit," said Drake head coach Niko Medved. "We learned a lot about ourselves tonight. There's a lot or areas to improve upon, but we take away a lot of positives too."
Drexel (2-3) was led by Tramaine Isabell's 32 points and eight rebounds. Lee Kurk added 21 points as well to help Drexel erase a second-half deficit and force overtime.
"They came in and started making shots," Medved said of Drexel's performance. "They really picked up their defensive intensity, but we made plays when we needed to."
Drake (3-1) led by seven points with 4:24 to play but was held scoreless for the remainder of the second half and three late points from Drexel's Austin Williams tied the game at 71-71. Drake drew up a well-executed lob to the rim with 0.4 seconds remaining to win the game, but the ball glanced off the front rim to force overtime.
Drexel drew first blood in overtime, but Drake answered back to take a four-point, 78-74, lead with 1:14 left on a pair of McGlynn free throws. However, Drexel was equally adept at getting to the free-throw line with four-straight free throws in the final minute tying the match again.
Isabell made the last two of those free throws to force a second overtime and they would be his last points of the game as Drake's Arogundade locked down on him in the second overtime.
Drake took the lead in the second overtime on a McMurray three-point play with 1:07 left to play and 52 seconds later he nailed a jumper to put the Bulldogs up, 90-88. Drexel had an opportunity to tie or retake the lead with five seconds left, but McMurray grabbed the Dragons' inbound pass to ice the win.
Drake returns home for its next contest, a Sunday matinee against Chicago State, Nov. 26. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. at the Knapp Center.
