DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake University men's basketball was impressive in an 83-74 victory over Boise State Tuesday, Nov. 27, in the final MVC/MWC Challenge.
 
Senior Nick McGlynn (Stoughton, Wis.) led the Bulldogs with a gritty performance that saw him pour in 23 points and match a career-high with 13 rebounds. He also blocked four shots on a night where the Bulldogs swatted 10 shots as a team. McGlynn's performance was just the second 20-10-4 performance by a Bulldog in the past decade.
 
Nick Norton (Bloomington, Ill.) added 18 points and four assists while Tremell Murphy (Griffith, Ind.) had 13 points and eight rebounds and brought the Knapp Center fans to their feet with a series of acrobatic dunks.
 
"I was really proud of the guys tonight," said Drake head coach Darian DeVries. "It wasn't always pretty tonight, but I thought we did a good job getting the game going at a pace and flow that we wanted. Because of that we were able to get to the rim and gave us more scoring opportunities."
 
Drake (4-1) shot just 43.1 percent in the win, but was 28-of-34 from the free-throw line and outrebounded Boise State, 40-36.
 
"Obviously this was another night we didn't shoot it well, so we needed every free throw we could get to finish the game out," DeVries added.
 
Justinian Jessup led Boise State (2-4) with 21 points in the loss.
 
The first half was highlighted by high-flying action, including a pair of alley-oops from junior forward Tremell Murphy that got the crowd to their feet. The second such play gave the Bulldogs a 42-32 lead over the Broncos going into halftime.
 
At the half, Drake was led McGlynn with 12 points and eight rebounds, both of which were game highs. As a team, the Bulldogs went 12-of-13 from the free throw line which helped to keep a comfortable lead for most of the half.
 
The Broncos got into foul trouble early in the second half and Drake used that to its advantage, getting the ball into the post against a pair of defenders who would eventually foul out of the contest.
 
The Broncos strung together a few quick runs to stay within striking distance late in the second half, but the Bulldogs stayed calm and executed on offense to maintain control of the game. With just under a minute remaining, the Bulldogs led by six points and Boise State resorted to fouling to extend the game. However, Drake held onto its lead and closed out the win by doing what the team did so well all game, hitting free throws.
 
"Even late in games, you see a group that's very connected and they trust each other. That's a huge piece to having the kind of culture you want to have," DeVries said.
 
Drake's next game will be Saturday, Dec. 1 at 5:30 p.m. against North Dakota State in Minneapolis, Minn., for the inaugural US Bank Stadium Classic. The game will be broadcast on Midco SN and available on ESPN3.