DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake University men's basketball team won its second-straight game as senior Gary Ricks, Jr. (Los Angeles, Calif.) and freshman Reed Timmer (New Berlin, Wis.) combined to score 32 points in a 70-65 win over visiting Evansville, Saturday afternoon at the Knapp Center.

Timmer scored a game-high 18 points on 5-of-10 shooting and seven free throws, including five in the final minute to seal the win for Drake (6-16, 3-7 MVC). Ricks' 14 points came via 4-of-7 shooting with a pair of three-pointers. Senior Karl Madison (Springfield, Ill.) continued his strong play with a season-high nine points and three assists. However, his biggest contribution came on defense as he held the Missouri Valley Conference's leading scorer, Evansville's D.J. Balentine, to 11 points through the first 39:50 of the contest. Balentine drained two three-pointers in the final 10 seconds of the contest to account for his team-high 17 points.

“He did an amazing job,” Drake head coach Ray Giacoletti said of Madison's defense. “He played each possession like it was his last.”

Neither team led by more than five points through the first 39 minutes until Drake built up a nine-point cushion with 10 seconds remaining. With 3:33 left in the contest, Evansville (16-6, 6-4 MVC) tied the contest, 53-53, on a pair of free throws. Two possessions later, Ricks hauled in a critical defensive rebound that led to a three-pointer from Jordan Daniels (Fontana, Calif.) off Madison pass to give Drake a 58-53 lead with 2:31 left. A minute later, Daniels found Jacob Enevold Jensen (Lunderskov, Denmark) in the lane for a floater to create a seven-point cushion.

With less than a minute left in the game, Evansville's offensive rebounding led to a four-shot possession that it could not convert. Finally, Madison dove to the floor to corral a long rebound and alertly called a timeout to give the Bulldogs the ball with 32 seconds left and a six-point, 64-58, lead.

“The biggest play of the night was Karl Madison diving on a loose ball,” Giacoletti said. “That's what this team has gotten better at as we go along, toughness and how hard we need to compete.”

The Purple Aces were forced to foul in the final 30 seconds and the Bulldogs converted on 7-of-8 opportunities to hold off a late flurry of three-pointers from Balentine.

Drake led for nearly the entire first half and built up a seven-point lead in the first four minutes of the second half. However, Evansville went on a 10-0 run to take a 43-40 lead with 11:25 left in the game. The Bulldogs were held scoreless for 4:26 during that span, but did not splinter.

“They made their run and we stuck together and said 'let's make our run,'” Timmer said. “It started on defense with stops and then we got a couple of big shots and we made our run.”

The Bulldogs reclaimed the lead five minutes later on back-to-back baskets from Enevold, who was saddled with foul trouble for much of the contest. Two possessions later, Ricks hit his second three-pointer to give Drake a 53-51 lead prior to Evansville re-tying the game to set up the thrilling final three minutes.

Drake will attempt to add to its two-game win streak on Wednesday, Feb. 4, when it hosts Southern Illinois at the Knapp Center. Tipoff for the first meeting of the season between the Bulldogs and Salukis is set for 7:05 p.m.