DES MOINES, Iowa - Led by a career-high 32 points from senior Reed Timmer (New Berlin, Wis.), the Drake men's basketball team defeated Chicago State, 79-67, in its return to the Knapp Center Sunday afternoon.
 
Timmer poured in a career-high seven three-pointers to put himself into 10th all-time at Drake with 139 career three-pointers and those seven three-pointers rank as the fifth most in a game in Drake history. Timmer's 32 points marked the third time in five games this season he has scored 20 or more points and his 11^th straight game in double-figure scoring dating back to last season.
 
"Reed's been phenomenal so far," said Drake head coach Niko Medved. "If they're going to give him open looks, he's going to knock them down and that's what you expect from a senior. He showed a lot of confidence on the offensive end that really helped us."
 
Sophomore Nick McGlynn added a career-high 17 points while just missing his third straight double-double with nine rebounds. H was joined in double-digits by redshirt senior Graham Woodward (Edina, Minn.) who tallied 10 points. Senior C.J. Rivers (Cahokia, Ill.) tied for a team-high nine rebounds and had eight assists, one shy of a career high.
 
Drake (4-1) recorded 19 assists on 29 field goals while shooting 47.5 percent (29-61) from the floor. The Bulldogs recorded 11 three-pointers, eight of which came in the second half as the team shot 53.3 percent from the arc in the period.
 
Chicago State (2-7) opened the first half with a 10-4 lead over the Bulldogs before extending it to a 32-18 lead. Drake surged back out of a timeout to end the half on a 17-2 run that included eight straight points by McGlynn and a three-pointer by McMurray for the 35-34 halftime lead.
 
"We didn't have our best today, but you have to give a lot of credit to Chicago State," Medved said. "They [Chicago State] made the decision to soft press back into a zone and it bothered us early. They took us out of rhythm and defensively we weren't very good. We dug ourselves a hole but showed a lot of resiliency."
 
The Bulldogs continued their push to open the second half with six straight points for a 41-34 lead. Chicago State fired back to erase Drake's lead and used an 11-3 run to build a 58-53 lead. Minutes later, a Woodward three-pointer gave Drake the go-ahead lead as part of a 21-3 run that ultimately secured the Bulldog victory.
 
"We finally had a stretch in the second half where we defended the ball screen better and when our defense picked up, that's when we went on a run and found a way to get a hard-fought win," Medved added.
 
Chicago State was led by Fred Sims, Jr. who poured in 25 points followed by Glen Burns and Deionte Simmons who put up 15 and 11 points, respectively. Simmons grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.
 
Following Sunday's win, the Bulldogs return to the road for a Nov. 29 contest at Omaha. The contest is scheduled to tipoff at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on 1350 ESPN Des Moines.