DES MOINES, Iowa - Freshmen Micah Mason
(Allegheny, Pa.) and Joey King (Eagan, Minn.) combined to score 29
points, but the Drake men's basketball team couldn't overcome a
hot-shooting Wichita State squad as the Shockers downed the Bulldogs, 75-63,
Wednesday evening at the Knapp Center.
Mason was 4-of-7 from the three-point arc for 14 points, 11
of them coming in the second half. King scored a late flurry of points on a
7-of-10 performance from the floor for 15 points, his most since scoring 21
against Xavier at the DirecTV Classic.
Wichita State (13-1, 2-0 MVC) was 12-of-25 from the
three-point arc and scored 29 points off Drake's 19 turnovers. The Shockers
were paced by Nick Wiggins' 18 points and four three-pointers.
“For the second game in a row, turnovers were really our
undoing,” Drake head coach Mark Phelps said. “To overcome 29 points off
turnovers is really tough. We had a couple of chances to make runs but couldn't
string enough good possessions together.”
Drake (6-7, 0-2 MVC) trailed by as many as 17 with eight
minutes left in the game but clawed back within eight points in the final
minute thanks to back-to-back baskets by King as part of an 8-0 run.
“Joey is showing that he can play around the basket and be
effective,” Phelps said. “He can be physical and not just shoot threes.”
Forced to foul in the final minute, the Shockers were able
to drain enough free throws to pull away for the 12-point win.
That 17-point WSU cushion developed thanks to WSU hitting
four three-pointers in the first 10 minutes of the second half with Cleanthony
Early nailing a pair to open the half and turn a tied game into a quick 6-point
lead.
Drake found itself down 12 points, 21-9, halfway through the
first half before a 12-0 Drake run tied the game with 7:35 left in the half.
Seven of those points came from Mason and King with Mason hitting his second of
three first-half three-pointers to cap the drive.
“I'm just trying to be aggressive and take advantage of the
open shots and that's what happened in the first half,” Mason said of his 11
first-half points.
Drake remains at home to host Missouri State on Saturday
evening at the Knapp Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. and will be
broadcast locally on Mediacom MC22. The Bears are 3-11 on the season after
falling in overtime, 62-59, at Evansville on Wednesday.
“We've got get back at it tomorrow and Friday and get ready
for Missouri State here on Saturday,” Phelps said. “We've got to take better
care of the ball and there's a high sense of urgency in taking care of the ball
and we're skilled enough to do that.”
