DES MOINES, Iowa - Led by a career-high 23 points from Graham Woodward (Edina, Minn.), the Drake University men's basketball team earned an 80-70 victory over Bradley Saturday afternoon at the Knapp Center.
"It felt like our day as a team," said redshirt junior Kale Abrahamson (West Des Moines, Iowa). "We kind of forgot what it feels like having a win and it felt good getting that monkey off our backs."
Drake (6-16, 1-9 MVC) snapped a nine-game losing streak in the win over Bradley (3-20, 1-9 MVC) in the first meeting between the two programs this season. The win was also Drake's sixth-straight win over the Braves in the Knapp Center.
"It was important for our team and our program to find a way to get a win today," said Drake head coach Ray Giacoletti. "These guys have been working hard every day and I'm glad they got rewarded. So now let's start a streak going the other way."
The Bulldogs won the tip and opened the game with seven-straight points. Although they held a substantial lead for the first 11 minutes of the game, multiple Bradley runs soon tied it up. Drake was able to reclaim the lead at halftime, 38-35.
Drake's defense clamped down in the second half, holding the Braves to 33.3 percent shooting while the Bulldog offense shot 50 percent to close the game.
An early second-half surge that featured a 15-1 run put the Bulldogs up by as many as 16 points, 65-49, with the game's momentum clearing swinging in the Bulldogs' favor.
Abrahamson scored six of his 13 points during that span including a three-pointer that he was fouled on and made the ensuing free throw. Dominik Olejniczak (Torun, Poland) added six of his eight points during that spurt as he recorded another solid outing for the Bulldogs.
Sophomore Ore Arogundade's (Chicago, Ill.) also continued his strong play with six points and career-high nine rebounds while Reed Timmer (New Berlin, Wis.) added 19 points for his 12th game with 19 or more points this season.
However, the final two minutes of the game showcased comeback efforts from the Braves. A Callum Barker layup pulled the Braves within six points, 74-68, with a minute left but Woodward added his final three points for the game from the line to help secure the Bulldog victory.
Bradley was led by Antoine Pittman's 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting. Bree Van Luuk was 3-of-4 from the three-point arc for 13 points.
The Bulldogs aim to earn another win as they hit the road to take on Indiana State Tuesday, Feb. 2 at the Hulman Center. The two teams are scheduled to tip-off their second meeting of the season at 6 p.m. CST on The Valley On ESPN3.
