MORAGA, Calif.  – Facing an 18-point deficit just minutes into the second half, the Drake University men's basketball rallied to pull within a point before falling  just short in a 67-63 loss at Saint Mary's on Saturday, Nov. 16. 

The Bulldogs' attempt to become just the 10th team to win on Saint Mary's home court in the last six years was led by 18 points and five assists from Richard Carter (Detroit, Mich.) and 11 points and six rebounds from Daddy Ugbede (Gardena, Calif.).

Saint Mary's (4-0) had four players in double figures with Beau Levesque's 16 points leading the way. Forward Brad Waldow added 16 points and 13 boards. Drake's (2-1)offense struggled to get shots to fall, converting on just 35.7 percent of its attempts, but took care of the ball with just 10 turnovers and only one in the second half to nearly escape McKeon Pavilion with a win.

“I'm proud of the way we fought and competed for 40 minutes,” Drake head coach Ray Giacoletti said. “We had a shot, but the first half got us in a rut and then the second half got off to bad start. You can't go on the road and have those kind of spurts.”

Those spurts were exacerbated by one of the toughest home courts in college basketball as the Gaels improved to 95-9 in McKeon Pavilion over the last six seasons.

With an 10-point deficit to start the second half, Drake quickly found itself down 18 points, 41-23, just three minutes into the half, forcing Giacoletti to take a timeout. Coming out of the timeout, the adjustments took hold with the Bulldogs going on a 9-0 run courtesy of five points from Carter. The Gaels managed to keep their lead at nine or more points for the next six minutes until California native Gary Ricks, Jr. (Los Angeles, Calif.) went on a tear to pull Drake within two points, 53-51, with 6:42 left in the contest. Ricks began the spurt with a three-pointer, followed by a pair of free throws and a steal that evolved into a fastbreak layup to change the complexion of the game.

Two minutes later, a pair of Carter free throws trimmed Saint Mary's lead to one point, 56-55, but five straight points from the Gaels reestablished their advantage. The Bulldogs fired one last salvo across the Gaels' bow courtesy of a Carter three-pointer with 30 seconds left to make it a 3-point, 63-60, game. However, Saint Mary's hit all four of its free throws down the stretch to preserve the home win. Carter tacked on another three-pointer as time expired to account for the 67-63 final.

Drake's 10-point half time deficit was a result of both squads struggling offensively to open the game with just three combined points scored in the first four minutes of the game. Saint Mary's eventually found its stroke to put together an 8-0 run to take a 16-6 lead with 11:45 left in the half. Drake's offense was unable to do the same, finishing the half shooting just 37.5 percent to trail 33-23 at halftime thanks to an 8-2 Drake run to close the half.. Ugbede provided the team with a spark off the bench, coming in to score back-to-back buckets and finishing the half with nine points in nine minutes.

“Daddy came in and gave us great energy and played very physically,” Giacoletti said.

He and his frontcourt mates Seth VanDeest and Jacob Enevold Jensen combined to hold Saint Mary's forward Waldow and Matt Hodgson to seven combined first half points.

The Bulldogs return home on Saturday, Nov. 23 to host Nebraska-Omaha at 1:05 p.m. in the Knapp Center. The game will be part of a very special day for Drake basketball as the Bulldogs are scheduled to begin construction on their new practice facility with a ceremonial groundbreaking at 11 a.m.