CARBONDALE, ILL. - On the strength of registering the second-most three
pointers in a game (16) in school history, Drake secured an impressive 65-44
road win over Southern Illinois on Wednesday (Feb. 2) at SIU Arena.
The 21-point margin of victory was the most by the Bulldogs
in a game versus the Salukis in school history, while also making head coach Mark Phelps the first
Drake head coach to win three straight on the road versus Southern Illinois.
The triumph was the initial for the Bulldogs on the road in
the Missouri Valley Conference this season and first overall since downing
Evansville on Jan. 20, 2010, 72-65.
It helped Drake improve its record to 9-14 overall and 4-8
in league play, while dropping Southern Illinois to 10-13 and 4-8 in conference
action.
Freshman Rayvonte Rice (Champaign, Ill./Centennial) led all scorers with 23
points, including five three pointers, matching his career high for points set
versus Chicago State (Dec. 23).
Joining him in double figures with 15 points was sophomore Ben Simons (Cadillac, Mich./Cadillac).
Drake also garnered nine- and eight-point performances from
senior Ryan Wedel
(Minneapolis, Kan./Minneapolis) and sophomore Aaron Hawley (Rogers, Ark./Rogers). Wedel also distributed a career-high
seven assists.
Redshirt sophomore Jordan Clarke (Rockville, Md./Our Lady of Good
Counsel) pulled down a Drake season-best and career-high 11 rebounds to help
the Bulldogs register a 32-26 rebounding advantage. The margin was even more impressive since Drake was playing
without sophomore Seth VanDeest (Bettendorf, Iowa/Bettendorf), who missed the game after he
re-aggravated an ankle injury at Illinois State last Sunday (Jan. 30).
Drake finished the contest shooting 45.1 percent from the
field, while limiting the Salukis to a 38.6 percent shooting mark.
The Bulldogs connected on 16-of-24 attempts beyond the arc
to finish the affair hitting 66.7 percent of their three pointers. Drake also held Southern Illinois
without a triple, marking the first time an opponent has failed to make a three
pointer since Feb. 16, 2000 when Bradley was 0-of-8 from distance.
After falling behind 5-2 to begin the contest, the Bulldogs
went on an 8-0 run to assume a 10-5 advantage, one they didn't relinquish in
the game.
Drake then began a three-point barrage as the Bulldogs'
final six baskets of the initial stanza all came off triples, including two by
Hawley.
Drake's biggest lead in the first half came after a three
pointer by sophomore Reece Uhlenhopp (Urbandale, Iowa/Urbandale), 28-19, with 1:57 left before
halftime.
Led by seven points from Rice, the Bulldogs led at the
intermission, 28-21.
Drake connected on 40 percent of its shots in the first 20
minutes, while the Salukis posted a 41.7 percent shooting mark.
Southern Illinois began the final 20 minutes on a 5-1 run
before a triple by Rice stopped the rally, 32-26, and began a 14-2 run helping
the Bulldogs take a 43-28 lead with 11:04 remaining.
Fueling the surge were a trio of three pointers as Drake
recorded the most triples in a game since March 21, 2008 when it fell to
Western Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament.
The 44-point effort by the Salukis was also the
lowest-scoring output by either Drake or Southern Illinois in series history.
The Bulldogs return to action hosting Northern Iowa on
Saturday (Feb. 5) at 12:05 p.m.
The game will be televised nationally by ESPNU.
