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Drake University Athletics

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Composite Calendar
Roman Penn at Dayton
72
Drake DU 10-3, 0-1 MVC
80
Winner Bradley BRAD 10-4, 1-0 MVC
Drake DU
10-3, 0-1 MVC
72
Final
80
Bradley BRAD
10-4, 1-0 MVC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Drake DU 37 35 72
Bradley BRAD 41 39 80

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Drake Athletic Communications

Men’s Basketball Drops MVC Opener at Bradley, 80-72

Bulldogs stumble on the road to close 2019

PEORIA, Ill. - The Drake University men's basketball team opened up the Missouri Valley Conference season with an 80-72 loss in a game that neither team led by more than three possessions at any point. The thrilling start to league play saw the lead swap hands 15 times with nine ties before Bradley took the lead for good in the final three minutes.

D.J. Wilkins put the Bulldogs up 69-68 with 3:15 left, but Bradley reclaimed the lead for the final time with eight-straight points as part of a 12-3 run to close the game with a pair of Drake turnovers helping fuel that run. 

"In the critical balance in the second half, Bradley made some big plays and came up with a couple of big loose balls," said Drake head coach Darian DeVries. "It came right down to the wire, and unfortunately we weren't able to make some big plays down the stretch."

Drake (10-4, 0-1 MVC) was led by another outstanding performance from Liam Robbins with 21 points on 10-of-13 shooting and a 10-of-10 night inside the arc. 

"I thought Liam was really effective in the interior," DeVries said. "Foul trouble did limit him, and we had to manage that, but he was really good for us on the offensive end."

Roman Penn added his first career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 12 assists. His passing helped the Bulldogs shoot 52 percent in the second half, but untimely miscues allowed Bradley (10-4, 1-0 MVC) to defend its home court.

"Every game in this league comes down to a handful of possessions," DeVries said. "If you're going to win on the road, you have to come up with those and find a way to make those plays. It's 18 games and this is game one. It's a long grind and you have to continue to improve each game."

The Braves were paced by 19 points and eight assists from Darrell Brown and 16 points and nine rebounds from Nate Kennell. 

Facing a halftime deficit, The Bulldogs blitzed the Braves to start the second half with nine-straight points, six of them from Robbins to take a 46-41 lead four minutes into the period. But nearly two scoreless minutes followed for the Bulldogs as Bradley retook the lead at 51-49. Five more lead changes ensued before Bradley rallied back for the final time to dispatch the Bulldogs.

In the first half, Jonah Jackson made a pair of three-pointers in the opening minutes to briefly give Drake the lead before Bradley reeled off a 9-2 run to take an 18-13 lead midway through the first half. Those three-pointers were part of a 15-point night for Jackson on a 5-of-12 night from the arc for his second-highest output as a Bulldog.

Drake erased that early deficit to take a 34-33 lead on a Noah Thomas three-pointer with 1:42 left in the period. A wild 90 seconds followed as Bradley scored eight straight points before Antonio Pilipovic hit a long-range three-pointer as time expired to pull the Bulldogs within four points, 41-37, at halftime and set up the entertaining second half.

The Bulldogs aim to even their Valley record at home this weekend, where they have won 11-straight games. Drake entertains Indiana State Saturday at 5 p.m. in a contest broadcast on Mediacom MC22 and ESPN+.
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