NOV. 9, 2008

DES MOINES, IOWA -- The Drake men's basketball team scored the game's final seven points to rally for a 57-51 victory past scrappy Arkansas Tech in its final exhibition game Sunday.

Drake junior guard Josh Young led both teams with 14 points, while junior forward Adam Templeton netted 12 points.

Senior forward Jonathan Cox added nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds for Drake.

Drake shot just 35.6 percent from the floor, making 16 of 45 shots.

But the Bulldogs relied on a sizeable advantage at the free throw line, sinking 20 of 28 free throws while Arkansas Tech failed to have a free throw attempt.

A reverse layup by junior transfer guard Craig Stanley with 1 minute 21 seconds left gave Drake a 52-51 advantage.

That would be the last basket either team would score as the Bulldogs sealed the victory by making five free throws in the last 53.9 seconds.

"This was a tough game for us," said Drake coach Mark Phelps. "It was good for our team to go through adversity and find a way to win."

After a charity toss by Templeton with 18 seconds left pushed Drake's lead to 54-51, senior reserve guard Jacob Baryenbruch preserved the victory when he stole a pass on Arkansas Tech's next possession.

Baryenbruch was fouled and made two free throws with eight seconds remaining.

The Bulldogs will open their 103rd season of intercollegiate basketball this Saturday at home against Butler.

"We need improvement across the board for Butler," Phelps added. "We really didn't play well today. You have to credit Arkansas Tech. They have highlighted things that we need to work on heading into our home opener."

After a layup by Stanley gave Drake a 43-41 lead at the 12:01 mark, the Bulldogs would go the next 8:01 without a basket.

But Drake's defense held Arkansas Tech scoreless for nearly 7 minutes.

A three-point basket by Young pushed Drake's lead to 48-43 before Brandon Friedel ended Arkansas State's dry spell with a basket with 3:53 left.

Friedel and forward Thiago Cordeiro combined for nine points to trigger a 12-3 run that enabled Arkansas Tech to turn an 8-7 deficit into a 19-11 advantage.

A three-point basket by Templeton, off a feed from Young, gave Drake a 26-24 edge with 2:45 left.

Arkansas Tech closed out the first half, making three of its last four shots, to grab a 31-29 intermission lead.

Drake shot only 34.8 percent in the first half, making eight of 23 shots, but stayed in the contest by sinking 11 of 14 free throws while Arkansas Tech failed to go to the free throw line.