DES MOINES, IOWA - On the strength of 16 second-half points from sophomore
Ben Simons (Cadillac,
Mich./Cadillac), Drake thwarted a late Creighton rally to hold on for a 67-64
triumph over the Bluejays on Tuesday (Feb. 8) at the Knapp Center.
The win extended Drake's winning streak to a season-best
three games and propelled the Bulldogs' ledger to 11-14 overall and 6-8 in the
Missouri Valley Conference.
Creighton saw its record fall to 15-11, including 7-7 in league play
with the setback.
The contest came down to the wire as the Bluejays used a 7-0
run to whittle a 64-55 Drake advantage with 2:28 to play down to a two-point
affair, 64-62, after Antoine Young's three pointer with 38 seconds remaining.
Following a Creighton foul with 22 ticks left in the game,
sophomore Reece Uhlenhopp (Urbandale, Iowa/Urbandale) made the second of two free
throws to push the Bulldogs' lead to 65-62.
Freshman Rayvonte Rice (Champaign, Ill./Centennial) then corralled a
defensive rebound after a missed three pointer by Doug McDermott at the
14-second mark.
Rice followed Uhlenhopp's lead and made the second of two
free throws to give Drake a 66-62 advantage.
Young answered for the Bluejays connecting on layup with
five seconds left to bring Creighton to within two, 66-64.
Junior Kurt Alexander (Toronto, Ontario/Pine Ridge Secondary) sealed the
Bulldog victory making one of two free throws, ironically the second, to push
the margin to 67-64.
Young's triple at the buzzer hit iron but didn't fall as
Drake escaped with its second consecutive three-point win.
The Bulldogs' defensive effort down the stretch was the key
to victory as they held Creighton to 3-of-12 shooting over the game's final six
minutes.
Simons sparked Drake with a team-high 18-point performance
and was joined in double-figures by 16 and 12 points, respectively, from Rice
and sophomore Seth VanDeest (Bettendorf, Iowa/Bettendorf).
Creighton garnered a game-best 24-point explosion by Young,
while Gregory Echenique, Jahenns Manigat and McDermott added 11, nine and nine
points, respectively.
Simons and the Bluejays' Kenny Lawson Jr. each pulled down a
game-high eight rebounds as Creighton outrebounded Drake, 36-29.
Redshirt sophomore Jordan Clarke (Rockville, Md./Our Lady of Good
Counsel) fashioned a strong showing for the Bulldogs scoring eight points,
while recording a game-high three steals.
Drake again took care of the basketball committing only 10
turnovers, while forcing Creighton into 12.
The game featured seven ties and five lead changes and saw
the Bulldogs connect on 45.8 percent of their shots from the floor. The Bluejays finished the evening
registering a 41.9 percent shooting mark.
Drake returns to action on Saturday (Feb. 12) with a 12:05
p.m. showdown at Indiana State.
