DES MOINES, Iowa – Led by 28 points from Reed Timmer (New Berlin, Wis.) and three other Bulldogs in double-figure scoring, the Drake University men's basketball team improved to 3-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference with an 87-62 win over Illinois State Wednesday, Jan. 3, evening at the Knapp Center.
 
The Bulldogs shot 50 percent from three-point range with 20 assists and just seven turnovers to sit in first place in the MVC standings and improve to 3-0 in the MVC for the first time since the 2007-08 season. The win was also the Bulldogs' fourth straight to remain undefeated at the Knapp Center this season.
 
"It's huge, we've been through so much together," Timmer said of the quick start to MVC play. "For us to stay together and have this start is big for us going forward."
 
Drake (9-7, 3-0 MVC) shot 8-of-16 from three-point range in the second half to stymie any Illinois State (8-7, 2-1 MVC) attempt to rally from a 14-point halftime deficit. Defensively, Drake held the Redbirds to 37.5 percent shooting to make ISU the fourth-straight opponent Drake has held under 40 percent.
 
"We were really focused and ready to play," said Drake head coach Niko Medved "I thought we set the tone on the defensive end and we got into a rhythm on offense. The game is fun when you play team basketball on both ends."
 
The Redbirds were led by Keyshawn Evans' 13 points in the loss, the Redbirds' first to the Bulldogs in the last 10 meetings.
 
Drake held a 14-point, 40-26, halftime lead thanks to 17 first-half points from Timmer and extended that advantage to 20 points, 56-36, in the first six minutes of the second half with an Ore Arogundade (Chicago, Ill.) three-point play. The Redbirds got no closer than 15 points the rest of the contest as Drake continued to connect with efficiency from both the three-point arc and under the basket.
 
Junior Nick McGlynn (Stoughton, Wis.) led the charge in the paint – despite opening the game on a three-pointer – with 11 points and 13 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. Six of his rebounds were on the offensive glass as Drake held a 4-rebound advantage over the much taller Redbirds. 
 
"We hustle and we do the little things, what you don't have in one area, makes you stick to what you know best," McGlynn said of taking on a taller front line. "I'm thankful to have teammates that keep putting me in good spots and I trust them."
 
As he was battling inside, teammates continued to connect from the perimeter with freshman Jalen Gibbs (Waldorf, Md.) going 3-of-3 from the arc for 12 points while De'Antae McMurray (Alton, Ill.) and Graham Woodward (Edina, Minn.) each connected on a pair of three-pointers. McMurray finished with 12 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and just one turnover in 28 minutes.
 
The Bulldogs take their unblemished MVC record to Indiana State for their next contest, a Saturday, Jan. 6, 1 p.m. matinee with the Sycamores at the Hulman Center.