DES MOINES, Iowa - The Drake University men's basketball team earned a history-making victory Tuesday night, beating North Dakota 88-55 at the Knapp Center to improve to 9-0 – the best start to a season in the program's 115 years.
"It was an exciting day to wrap up non-conference play 9-0 and do something that we haven't been able to do here at Drake," said Drake head coach
Darian DeVries. "I'm happy for our guys, the work they've put in and the discipline they've had to get us to this point to even have the opportunity to play. I'm excited for our guys as we head into conference play."
In a final tuneup for the start of Missouri Valley Conference play this weekend, the Bulldogs relied on defense and rebounding until their offense started clicking in the second half.
As usual, it was a balanced effort.
Shanquan Hemphill led with 19 points on 8-for-13 shooting, grabbed seven rebounds and had four steals.
Tremell Murphy added 13 points and six rebounds, while
Roman Penn and
Garrett Sturtz each scored 10.
Penn made 5-of-7 shots, while Sturtz knocked down his first 3-pointer of the season and came up with four steals to match his career high in that category. Hemphill's four steals also equaled his career best.
The Bulldogs finished with 15 steals in all, a season high.
North Dakota, led by 16 points from Gertautas Urbonavicius, fell to 1-8.
Drake shot 68.8 percent in the second half – 22-for-32 – to break the game open after leading just 36-28 at halftime. The Bulldogs shot 55.2 percent for the game and enjoyed a 37-27 rebounding edge that included 14 offensive rebounds. A sharp transition game that led to several layups and easy shots helped Drake amass a 44-18 edge in points in the paint.
"We've been able to get into the paint and play a lot of inside-out," DeVries said. "Because of that our three-point shooting percentages have been good and we've been at the rim a lot. And our guys are unselfish. When you have that combination, it's why we've been successful to this point on the offensive end."
The Bulldogs led 40-34 early in the second half when Murphy went to the bench with his third foul. But his teammates picked things up in his absence and pulled away.
Penn hit a jumper in transition and scored on a follow shot, starting a 20-4 run that lifted the Bulldogs into 60-38 lead and the margin grew from there.
Two Hemphill dunks highlighted the burst. The first came on a lob from Wilkins and the second on a breakaway after Wilkins poked the ball away and hit his teammate in stride heading for the basket. Sturtz completed a three-point play off a steal and Wilkins swished a 3 from the left side to cap the run.
Murphy knocked down two consecutive shots from deep to make it 71-44 and Penn emerged from a crowd with a short jumper to stretch the lead to 27, enabling the regulars to take a seat for good.
Drake opens MVC play with games at Indiana State next Sunday and Monday, Dec. 27 and 28. The Bulldogs are unbeaten going into league action for the first time since the 1960-61 season.
The Bulldogs have won all nine of their games by at least 10 points and lead the Valley in scoring margin at 26.4 points a game.
