NOV. 1, 2008

DES MOINES, IOWA -- Senior forward Jonathan Cox (Barrington, Ill.) collected 14 points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots to pace a balanced attack as the Drake men's basketball team beat Truman State, 77-61, in its exhibition opener Saturday night at the Drake Knapp Center.

Six players scored in double figures for Drake which is the defending Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and post-season tournament champions.

Senior guard Jacob Baryenbruch (Spring Green, Wis.) came off the bench to score 14 points, hitting four of six three-point baskets, for Drake.

Sophomore guard Josh Parker (Chicago, Ill.) tallied 11 points, including six in the first half, for Drake which owned a 41-26 halftime lead.

A three-point basket from the left baseline by Parker gave Drake a 5-2 lead that it would never relinquish. That also triggered an 11-0 scoring outburst by the Bulldogs.

Truman State opened the game making just one of its first 12 shots from the floor in the opening 11 minutes 32 seconds.

It marked the first official appearance by new Drake coach Mark Phelps

"Overall, it was a good night," said Phelps, who was named the school's 25th head coach last April. "I thought we did some good things, but we still have a lot of work to to do.

"I thought the game gave us a lot of different looks and was exactly what we needed. We look forward to get back to work and improving."

The game also marked the debut of junior transfer Craig Stanley (Plano, Texas) who started at point guard. Stanley responded with 12 points, hitting all four shots from the floor, five assists and two steals.

"Both Josh Parker and Craig Stanley gave us lifts tonight," Phelps added. "It was great for Craig to have a good first game.

"I've said from day one that Josh (Parker) is a high energy player. He has a terrific attitude and gave great effort."

Drake junior guard Josh Young (Lawton, Okla.), who led the MVC in scoring last year, added 12 points, while fifth-year senior forward Brent Heemskerk (Grand Rapids, Mich.) netted 10.

Heemskerk also blocked three shots as Drake totaled nine rejections in the contest.

Drake forced Truman State into 18 turnovers, while scoring 23 points off its miscues.

Drake shot 49.1 percent from the floor, hitting 26 of 53 shots, including 50 percent in the second half.

Drake will host Arkansas Tech Nov. 9 before opening the regular season at home against Butler Nov. 15.