ST. LOUIS, MO. - Senior guard Adam Emmenecker, who was named the Larry Bird Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year on Thursday, showed his versatility with 13 points and 10 rebounds to lead No. 20 ranked Drake past Indiana State, 68-46, Friday in the quarterfinal round of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
Drake advanced to the semifinal round of the MVC Tournament for the first time since 1993 and will play Creighton in a 1:30 p.m. test Saturday. Creighton stopped Bradley, 74-70, in the other quarterfinal round.
Emmenecker became the first player in the MVC this season to record two different types of double-doubles. In a 71-68 victory at Evansville Jan. 6, Emmencker had 10 points and 10 assists.
Emmenecker's 10 rebounds against Indiana State were a career high. He had seven rebounds in the second half which saw the Bulldogs own a 25-14 advantage after being outrebound, 20-17, in the first half.
Drake senior guard Leonard Houston scored all of his 16 points, including three three-pointers, in the second half for the Bulldogs who improved to 26-4 to match the school single-season victory total held by the 1968-69 team (26-5) which finished third in the NCAA Final Four.
Drake held Indiana State to a season-low 25.9 percent shooting from the floor, including 22.2 percent in the second half.
"Our balance has been good all year," said Drake coach Keno Davis. "When you ave four or five players that are threats from the three-point rang, it's very difficult to defend."
Sophomore guard Marico Stinson, who averages 12.3 points, was held to three points on 1-for-9 shooting.
Junior forward Jonathan Cox added 12 points, while senior Klayton Korver and sophomore Josh Young had 11 points apiece, putting all five Drake starters in double figures.
"Coach (Keno Davis) really told us to come out and shut them down in the second half," said Cox. "We just had to remember to go every time and crash the boards.
"We played good defense tonight because we had to."
Five players contributed to a 17-5 run at the start of the second half, giving Drake a 48-30 lead with just under 12 minutes to play. Indiana State missed eight of its first nine shots after the break.
After grabbing an early 10-2 lead, Drake was unable to put away Indiana State in the first half. Emmenecker had eight points in the half, topping his average of 7.7, and scored off a drive with 2.5 seconds left for a 31-25 lead.
