KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Slowed by first-half turnovers, the Drake University men's basketball team fell Tuesday evening at UMKC, 68-62. Reed Timmer (New Berlin, Wis.) led the Bulldogs in the loss with 15 points while Graham Woodward (Edina, Minn.) added 11.
Drake (0-2) committed 23 turnovers, 18 in the first half, that led to 24 points for the Kangaroos. In addition to the miscues, UMKC (1-1) converted on 11-of-27 three-pointers to lead by as many at 16 points in the first half before the Bulldogs pulled within four points twice in the second half.
"We knew what they were going to," said Drake head coach Ray Giacoletti of UMKC's defensive pressure. "You can't turn it over 18 times in a half. You have to have a little poise, advance the ball and attack when you have numbers. They sped us up and you can't put yourself in those positions."
UMKC was led by its preseason all-WAC selections Martez Harrison and LaVell Boyd with 40 combined points. Harrison scored 22 points on 7-of-9 shooting while Boyd added 18 points.
Facing an early 9-3 deficit, the Kangaroos started scoring via a 16-0 run to take the lead with seven minutes left in the half. UMKC added four three-pointers in the remainder of the period and shot 7-of-14 from the arc to take a 37-26 lead at halftime. The Bulldogs closed the half on a 9-4 run to trim UMKC's lead before halftime.
Drake opened the second half with four-straight points from C.J. Rivers (Cahokia, Ill.) but UMKC countered with three-pointers from Harrison and Boyd to extend their lead. With four minutes left in the contest, Drake pulled within four points on a pair of free throws, but another UMKC three-pointer ended the threat and allowed the Kangaroos to hold on for the home win.
"We made a run in the second half and we're going to need guys like De'Antae McMurray (Alton, Ill.) to help us as we move forward," Giacoletti added. "As you start getting more mature, our guys need to start getting tired of not being able to get a stop, not executing and find a way for five guys to play as one."
The Bulldogs return home on Saturday, Nov. 19, to host Simpson College at the Knapp Center. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. and will be broadcast on The Valley on ESPN3.
