Saturday, Nov. 12, 2011
DES MOINES, Iowa--Junior Aaron Hawley and the Drake men's basketball team raced out of the gate in impressive fashion Saturday, defeating Upper Iowa 83-58 at the Knapp Center. The 25-point victory was the Bulldogs' largest margin of victory since they defeated Chicago State by 51 (102-51) on December 23, 2010.
The Drake Bulldogs won their season-opener in convincing fashion, topping Upper Iowa 83-58 on Saturday night at the Knapp Center. Five Bulldogs scored in double figures as Drake won on opening night for the second year in a row.
The Bulldogs prepare to welcome Iowa State at 8 p.m. on Tuesday as the night-cap to a women's and men's basketball doubleheader against the Cyclones at the Knapp Center.
Drake had a balanced scoring attack with five players in double figures. Hawley (Rogers, Ark.) had a break-out performance in leading all scorers with a career-high 23 points.
Karl Madison (Springfield, Ill.) also shone in his first game for the Bulldogs since redshirting last season with two ankle injuries. He played 32 minutes while scoring 13 points, dishing out two assists, and recording a steal.
Drake head coach Mark Phelps was excited about his freshman point guard's potential.
"When you look at Karl and see that he's got 119, 120 more games left to be a Bulldog, it's really exciting what he did tonight," Phelps said.
One key for the Bulldogs was their high-pressure defense, which forced the Peacocks into 16 turnovers.
"Defense has been our focus for so long," Hawley said. "Unfortunately it took us that long to get going, but once we did things turned around for us."
The game started slowly, with both teams struggling offensively and neither garnering a significant lead. Drake turned the tables with 6:31 left in the first half, going on a 19-5 run, as Hawley hit two three-point baskets in the process.
The Peacocks, led by Tucker Wentzein's 14 points, attempted to come out strong in the second half but a steal by Jordan Clarke (Jr. Rockville, Md.) led to an easy basket that was followed by the play of the game. Madison recovered a loose ball around mid-court and hit the streaking Hawley in stride, who emphatically dunked the ball to the roar of the crowd.
The Bulldogs led by as many as 28 late in the game en route to the 83-58 win.
Drake saw the return of four of its key players to action. Clarke, Kraidon Woods (Henryville, Pa.) and David Smith (Chicago, Ill.) all returned from injury while Greg Whitaker (Fairfax, Va.) saw his first action since returning from a study-abroad trip to South Africa.
Phelps enjoyed the win, but still saw room for improvement.
"There's some things that we can build on," Phelps said. "There's some things we can teach from as well. We have to be a defensive team. We have to be a team that hangs its hat on the defensive end."
The Bulldogs will take on in-state foe Iowa State on Tuesday night at the Knapp Center before heading to the island paradise of St. Thomas for the Paradise Jam.
"The Cyclones have a lot of firepower on the offensive end," Phelps said. "They can shoot it from 3, they've got guys who can get in the paint, they have a low-post presence and they're going to be a heck of a challenge."
The game will be preceded by a Bulldogs-Cyclones women's matchup at 5 p.m. Tip-off for the men's game will be at 8.
