DES MOINES, IOWA -- Senior guard
Josh Young scored a season-high 21 points, while senior forward
Adam Templeton collected a career-high 17 points and 16 rebounds to pace a balanced scoring attack as Drake trimmed South Dakota, 96-81, in the opening round of the Drake Invitational Friday night at the Drake Knapp Center.
Both teams combined for 25 three-point baskets with the Bulldogs hitting a season-high 14 treys while shooting 53.8 percent beyond the arc.
Freshman forward
Ben Simons added 20 points for Drake which improved to 4-5. South Dakota, which had a three-game winning streak snapped, fell to 5-4.
Drake will face Binghamton, which played in the 2009 NCAA Tournament, at 5 p.m. Saturday.
"We took advantage of offensive opportunities," said Drake head coach
Mark Phelps. "We had good open looks. Our guys have been working hard on shooting this past week."
Junior guard
Ryan Wedel netted 14 points, while senior guard
Craig Stanley came off the bench with a season-high 13 points to mark the first game this season that Drake had five players score in double figures.
Wedel played a steady floor game by collecting six assists and three steals.
Templeton, a native of Rapid City, S.D., entered the contest having scored just 15 points in his previous three games combined.
Young and Templeton each made four three-point baskets and were a combined eight-of-12 shooting beyond the three-point arc.
Young made six of seven shots from the floor, including four-of-four three-point baskets, to score 16 points while staking Drake to a 50-39 halftime lead.
He became just the sixth player in Drake history to reach the 1,400-point club with 1,418 points.
"We continue to challenge Josh (Young) to be aggressive," Phelps added. "Templeton (Adam) really battled hard tonight."
Two free throws by Mitchell Bouie capped a 5-0 run that pulled South Dakota to within 68-66 with 9:16 left.
Drake responded with a 10-0 blitz that included four points from Templeton and Stanley.
Back-to-back three-point baskets from Simons and Templeton triggered a 9-0 run late in the game that pushed Drake's lead to 87-75.
The Bulldogs shot 50 percent from the floor, making 33 of 66 shots. South Dakota hit 42.3 percent, hitting 30 of 71 shots.
Freshman guard Jake Thomas and senior forward Tyler Cain collected 16 points apiece for the Coyotes.
DRAKE NOTES: The 11 three-point baskets in the first half by Drake were the second highest in one half by a Bulldog team in school history. Drake hit 12 treys in the second half against Wichita State Jan. 11, 2001...The 16 rebounds by Templeton were the most by a Drake player since
Jonathan Cox grabbed 16 rebounds against Western Kentucky in the first round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament...Templeton also set a career high with four three-point baskets...The 96 points were the most scored by a
Mark Phelps' coached team at Drake and also the most by a Bulldog team in a regular season game since Drake earned a 102-90 home victory against Troy, Dec. 8, 2006....Drake has made 10 or more three-point baskets in four games this season...Drake is 3-1 this season when shooting 50 percent or better from the floor.
