DES MOINES, IOWA - Sparked by 17 points from sophomore
Seth VanDeest (Bettendorf, Iowa/Bettendorf), Drake withstood a
strong Bradley effort to post a 64-58 victory over the Braves on Friday (Jan.
7) in the Knapp Center.
The Bulldogs improved
their ledger to 7-8 overall and 2-2 in the Missouri Valley Conference, while
the Braves dropped their record to 6-9 and 0-4 in league play.
Four Drake players finished with double-figure scoring
outputs led by VanDeest, while freshman Rayvonte Rice (Champaign, Ill./Centennial),
sophomore Ben Simons (Cadillac, Mich./Cadillac) and sophomore Aaron Hawley (Rogers, Ark./Rogers) added 12, 11
and 10 points, respectively.
Andrew Warren's 20-point performance paced all players,
while Dodie Dunson chipped in 12 points for Bradley.
On the strength of a 48 percent shooting mark in the initial
stanza, the Bulldogs raced to an early lead in the game and parlayed six
first-half points from VanDeest into a 26-21 halftime advantage.
Drake maintained its edge in the affair until Jake Eastman
connected on a layup to provide the Braves a 35-34 lead with 14:33 left in the
game.
There were five ties and six lead changes before the
Bulldogs went ahead to stay, 54-53, on a free throw by VanDeest with 2:55
remaining.
Simons and Rice each scored four points apiece, all at the
free throw line, to secure Drake's first win over Bradley since a 68-54
decision on Feb. 7, 2009.
VanDeest and Rice scored 11 and 10 points, respectively, in
the second half to spark the Bulldogs' come-from-behind victory.
Drake finished the affair shooting 42 percent from the
field, while the Braves connected on 43.6 percent of their attempts.
Bradley edged the Bulldogs in the rebounding column, 35-31,
while Drake committed only nine turnovers.
Rice pulled down a game-high eight rebounds, while redshirt
junior Kraidon Woods (Henryville, Pa./Pocono Mountain East) was strong on the boards with
seven rebounds. Anthony Thompson
and Dunson each snagged seven caroms for the Braves.
Drake returns to action
on Sunday (Jan. 9) hosting Indiana State at 5:06 p.m.
