DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. --  Players and coaches were in agreement on what made the difference between a Drake victory and a Drake loss Saturday

The Bulldogs' inability to make shots down the stretch proved the difference as Akron rallied to post a 63-59 victory in the Glenn Wilkes Classic Saturday.

Drake made just one of its last nine shots to close out the game, falling short in an upset bid against a  team that had four starters back from last year's  23-13 squad that advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

"We didn't make shots that we usually make," said Drake head coach Mark Phelps. "We played hard. Things just didn't work out for us."

"We got good looks at the basket," added senior guard Josh Young, who finished with nine points. "We just weren't converting. Sometimes you go through a tough stretch where shots don't fall.

Junior transfer guard Ryan Wedel led Drake with 14 points.

It was a tale of two halves down the stretch.

As much as the Bulldogs were cold from the floor to close out the game, Drake relied on torrid shooting in the final minutes of the first half to enjoy a 33-27 lead.

Drake made 10 of its last 14 shots to close out the first half.

Drake shot 54.2 percent in the first half but cooled down to 29.2 percent in the second half, finishing the game at 41.7 percent.

Meanwhile, Akron hit 54.2 percent in the second half.
Guard Anthony Hitchens led the Zips with 17 points -- all in the second half.

"It came down to the last couple of minutes and with the experience they had, they were able to make plays," Phelps said.

Hitchens hit a jumper to tie the score at 55-55 with 4:10 left.

Drake's last basket of the game -- a layup by freshman center Seth VanDeest -- came with 3:11 remaining to give Drake a 57-55 edge.

VanDeest's free throw with 2:22 left gave Drake its last lead of the game at 58-57.

Hitchens answered with a three-point basket that gave Akron a 60-58 lead it never relinquished with 2:06 left.

Trailing 15-9, Drake made three straight shots, including three-point baskets by Wedel and sophomore reserve guard Frank Wiseler.

A jumper by Wedel from the top of the key gave Drake a 19-18 lead with 7:29 left while igniting a string of four straight baskets made by the Bulldogs.

Freshmen reserves Reece Uhlenhopp and David Smith also contributed. Smith drove the length of the court for a layup following his own steal. Uhlenhopp hit a three-point basket from the right wing

"We have improved a lot during the last couple of games," said Wiseler. "It's just unfortunate that our shots wouldn't go in today. We can learn a lot from this game."

VanDeest, plagued by foul trouble, led Drake with six rebounds.

The Bulldogs close out the Glenn Wilkes Classic facing Central Florida at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.