ANCHORAGE, Ak. – Iona outscored the Drake University men's basketball team by 16 points in the second half to pull away for a 64-53 win over the Bulldogs at the GCI Great Alaska Shootout on Thanksgiving night. Drake (1-3) was led by 14 points from Reed Timmer (New Berlin, Wis.) and a career-high 12 points from De'Antae McMurray (Alton, Ill.).
Sam Cassell, Jr. paced the Iona (1-2) with 15 points and seven assists while Jon Severe scored all 14 of his points in the second half with four three-pointers to help the Gaels erase a 10-point deficit. Drake committed 11 of its 19 turnovers in the second half with the Gaels scoring 18 points off Drake miscues.
"They hit some tough shots and those were shots they were going to have to make to beat us," said Drake head coach Ray Giacoletti. "I'm more disappointed in us turning the ball over 19 times. To have six empty trips to end the game and 19 turnovers, that's what's disappointing."
Iona closed the game on a 14-1 run and held the Bulldogs without a field goal for the final six minutes of the game following a Timmer three-pointer to give the Bulldogs a 52-50 lead with 6:08 left in the contest.
"We need to be better in understanding how to win a game at the end and you can't come up empty on six-straight trips," Giacoletti added.
Drake opened the second half with a 10-point, 38-28, lead, but back-to-back-to-back from Severe pulled the Gaels within one, 38-37, two minutes later. Neither team led by more than two possessions for the next eight minutes until Iona started its run to close the game.
McMurray drained a three-pointer as time expired in the first half to give him a career-high 12 points in the opening period on 4-of-5 shooting with a pair of three-pointers. The Bulldogs closed the half on a 5-0 run to talk a 30-25 lead into halftime. Minutes before, the Bulldogs assembled a 12-2 run to turn a 4-point deficit into a 6-point lead with 4:47 left.
The Bulldogs return to action at the GCI Great Alaska Shootout on Friday, Nov. 25, at 5 p.m. CST. The Bulldogs' will face UC Davis, who is coached by former Bradley head coach and standout Jim Les.
