PEORIA, Ill. – Led by double-doubles from Nick McGlynn (Stoughton, Wis.) and Tremell Murphy (Griffith, Ind.), the Drake University men's basketball team handily defeated Bradley, 69-52, Wednesday evening at Carver Arena.
 
Three days after enduring extended scoring droughts and cold shooting in a loss at UNI, Drake turned the tables on Bradley. The Bulldogs held the Braves scoreless for extended stretches in the first half and limited the Braves to just 15.2 percent shooting to open the game. 
 
That stifling defense forced Bradley's shooters to miss 20-straight shots at one point and allowed Drake (13-5, 2-3 MVC) to roll out to a 33-15 halftime lead. Drake extended its lead to as many as 25 points in the second half to cruise to the 17-point road win. That margin was the Bulldogs' second biggest in an MVC road win in the last decade.
 
"I thought the first half really set the tone, defensively," said Drake head coach Darian DeVries. "I thought we made things tough on them and were able to get stops and get out and score in transition."
 
McGlynn scored 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting with 11 boards while Tremell Murphy added 11 points and a career-high 11 boards for the Bulldogs. Brady Ellingson (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) continued his torrid three-point shooting by connecting on 5-of-9 three-pointers for 15 points. 
 
"We were able to break loose in transition and got some threes on broken floor situations with Ellingson hitting a few," DeVries said. "I think our guys played with more confidence after that."
 
Bradley (8-10, 0-5 MVC) was led by Elijah Childs' 15 points and 13 rebounds. The Braves finished the game shooting 31.1 percent and were outrebounded by 12.
 
Drake took its first lead of the game six minutes into the contest at 10-9 on Garrett Sturtz's (Newton, Iowa) first three-pointer in an MVC game followed by an Ellingson three-pointer as part of an 11-2 run that gave Drake a 13-9 lead eight minutes into the contest. 
 
That began a stretch where Drake held the Braves scoreless for nearly six minutes to extend its lead as the Braves missed 20-straight shots and were scoreless for more than eight minutes. Drake's defense did not relent, holding Bradley scoreless for the final three minutes of the half and closing the last 13 minutes of the period on a 26-6 run to own a 33-15 half time lead.
 
Ellingson scored nine of his points in the first half on 3-of-6 shooting from three-point range while D.J. Wilkins added seven points and finished the game with 10. Defensively, Drake teamed up to hold the Braves to 15.2 percent shooting as they converted on just five of 33 attempts. 
 
Drake stretched that lead out to 20 points in the opening minutes of the second half and built up 25 point cushion midway through the period. While Drake's early defensive pressure may have had brief lapses and untimely offensive turnovers, the Bulldogs were able to cruise to the 17-point win.
 
"The second half, we kept them at bay," DeVries added. "I didn't think we defended well, but we scored enough to keep it at that 18-to-20 point mark."
 
The Bulldogs return to Des Moines with the road win to host Missouri State, Sunday, Jan. 20, at the Knapp Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.