DES MOINES, Iowa— The Drake University men's basketball team fell to South Dakota, 79-74, Friday evening, Nov. 11, at the Knapp Center in the season opener for both teams.
Junior Reed Timmer (New Berlin, Wis.) led the Bulldogs with 17 points and two steals on a night where four Bulldogs scored in double figures. Junior T.J. Thomas (Stone Mountain, Ga.) scored 13 points in his first game as a Bulldog with led with eight rebounds. However, Thomas' performance on the glass was not enough to overcome a 9-rebound deficit that helped the Coyotes score 14 second-chance points.
"If we could have simply rebounded the basketball tonight," said Drake head coach Ray Giacoletti. "That was the key. We got them to miss and we've got to be able to box out and be the tougher team."
The Bulldogs also started two players who saw limited action last season including redshirt sophomore Kory Kuenstling (Dunkerton, Iowa), who finished with six points and three rebounds. Junior C.J. Rivers (Cahokia, Ill.) was also back on the court after a hand injury last season and led the team with four assists in addition to 10 points, two rebounds and three steals.
Trey Burch-Manning led the Coyotes with a game-high 24 points. However, just seven of his points came in the final 17 minutes of the game. He also recorded a game-high 11 rebounds. Matt Mooney added 21 points for the victors as well.
Drake shot 51.7 percent in the opening half to take a 45-39 lead at the intermission, but the offense slowed in the second half with just 29 points on 42.3 percent shooting. The Bulldogs also only managed to get to the free-throw line three times in the second half after attempting 16 free throws in the opening period.
USD used a 10-2 run in the second half to pull away with its largest lead of the game at 68-60 with 5:36 left. The Bulldogs pulled within a point twice in the final minutes but could not overcome a series of clutch shots from the Coyotes.
"Credit to them, they had 3-4-5 possessions where they made tough shots," Giacoletti added. "We played pretty good defense, and they stepped up and knocked shots down."
The Bulldogs travel to Kansas City, Mo., to take on UMKC next on Nov. 15. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. The game will be broadcast on 1350 ESPN3 Des Moines.
