DES MOINES, Iowa – Liam Robbins led the Drake University men's basketball team with 19 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks as the Bulldogs beat Illinois State, 84-74, on Thursday night at the Knapp Center. The triumph was Drake's 14th-straight win at home.
 
Five Bulldogs scored in double figures to fend off the hot shooting of Illinois State's Zach Copeland, whose 32 points are the most a Drake opponent has poured in this season.
 
Robbins started quickly by posting six points and four rebounds in the first four minutes of action. He scored in double figures for the 10th-straight outing, and his strong play on both ends enabled the Bulldogs to gain a 44-24 advantage in points in the paint.

"He [Robbins] continues to just grow in confidence," said Drake head coach Darian DeVries. "Nineteen and 12 tonight, it's becoming normal almost for him and what I love about him is he's nowhere close to what he's capable of yet. His confidence is growing and our guys' confidence in him is helping us play through him."
 
Jonah Jackson provided an offensive avalanche in the early going, scoring all of his 13 points in the opening half. In a three-minute span, Jackson erupted for 10 points by nailing a trio of triples and converting a four-point play on one of them.

"Jonah was great. He always gets us going early," Drake's Roman Penn said. "He opens the floor for us a lot. And when he's hitting shots early on, he opens up it for Liam to go down low and work."
 
Robbins and Jackson shouldered much of the scoring responsibility as the Bulldogs lit up the scoreboard for 47 points before halftime, the second-most in a half this season against a Division I opponent.
 
Illinois State closed the opening 20 minutes on a 9-2 run to cut Drake's lead to 47-43 heading into the break.
 
Robbins opened the second half with another flurry as he notched four points and two rebounds before the first pause in the action.
 
From there, Noah Thomas' speed and energy made a difference. The Australian spurred on Drake to a 10-0 run, scoring or assisting on four of five Bulldog baskets during the span. Thomas finished with 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting.
 
The Drake defense was also crucial in the run. The Bulldogs locked in to force eight-straight misses by Illinois State and held the Redbirds to 20 percent shooting in the second half.

"I think our group is more capable of being a better defensive team than what we've shown," DeVries said. "But again, in the second half, I thought they came out in the locker room with a much better mindset."
 
Roman Penn notched 12 points and six assists to continue his run of strong play. Over the last six games, Penn is shooting 31-of-53 (58.5 percent) from the field.
 
D.J. Wilkins chipped in 13 points to round out Drake's double-digit scorers. Wilkins salted the game away at the free-throw line, finishing 6-of-7 from the stripe.
 
Drake (13-5, 3-2 MVC) opens a two-game road trip on Sunday at 3 p.m. against Southern Illinois. The Bulldogs will then travel to Evansville on Wednesday for a 6 p.m. tip.