DES MOINES, Iowa - Joseph Yesufu hit two key shots in overtime and the Drake University men's basketball team, getting a career-best 20 points from Darnell Brodie, held off Illinois State to remain unbeaten with a 78-76 victory at the Knapp Center on Sunday.
   
The Bulldogs overcame an early 11-point deficit and leading scorer ShanQuan Hemphill's foul trouble to improve to 16-0 for the season and 7-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference, Drake's best start in league play since the 2007-08 season.
 
Illinois State (5-11, 2-8 MVC), which has no seniors, stormed back from 15 points down in the second half to send the game into overtime tied at 71, and the Redbirds scored the first bucket of the extra session to go up 73-71. But that was the last time they would lead.
 
"I'm happy to come away with a win in a hard-fought Valley game with some big swings," said Drake head coach Darian DeVries. "It's league play, you have to find a way sometimes. Today was one of them and we were able to survive it and get the win."
   
Yesufu, the backup point guard to Roman Penn, buried a 3-pointer from the left corner for a 74-73 lead. Then, after Illinois State tied it with a free throw, Yesufu drove for a basket to break the tie and Penn sank two free throws with 1:29 left for a 78-74 lead that would prove to be just enough.
   
Howard Fleming Jr. scored on a follow-up to make it 78-76 with 16.5 seconds remaining and the Redbirds got another chance when Drake's Garrett Sturtz missed the front end of a 1-and-1 free throw. But Fleming missed a driving shot just before the buzzer and the Bulldogs stayed perfect.
 
"You have to figure out a way to win a game," DeVries said. "You never know how that game is going to play out. For us to go and survive, it is a credit to those guys for gutting one out and figuring out a way. We have to do a better job tomorrow of getting into some things against their zone. But they found a way to win."
 
Brodie was perfect in his shooting, going 10-for-10 with a variety of jump hooks, turnarounds and layups. He also grabbed 10 rebounds for his second double-double in the past three games.
   
Tremell Murphy added 13 points for the Bulldogs, D.J. Wilkins scored 11, Penn had 10 and Yesufu finished with nine, none bigger than his five points in overtime. Hemphill, leading the team with a 14.7 scoring average, was limited to 24 minutes because of his fouls -- he picked up his fourth less than a minute into the second half -- and finished with six points.
   
Drake struggled from the perimeter against Illinois State's 2-3 zone and finished 4-for-30 from 3-point range. The Bulldogs came in fifth nationally in 3-point accuracy at 41.4 percent. They shot 43.3 percent overall, hitting 63 percent of their shots inside the arc.
 
"We got stagnant and have to do a better job getting the ball moving," DeVries said. "We have to do a better job tomorrow of making better ball movement and shooting a higher percentage."
   
Sophomore Antonio Reeves led Illinois State (5-11, 2-8) with a career-high 27 points, 23 coming in the second half. He scored 14 straight Illinois State points late in the game to key the Redbirds' comeback. DJ Horne added 14 points for Illinois State, which will meet the Bulldogs at the Knapp Center again at 6 p.m. Monday.
 
"Illinois State is a young team, but very talented," DeVries said. "Once they cut into that 15-point lead, you could feel their energy change."
   
Drake clawed back into the game after missing five of its first six shots and trailing 16-5. A 12-3 run that included six points from Brodie gave the Bulldogs their first lead, 22-21, and they rattled off eight straight points for a 32-25 lead with 3:20 left in the half. Murphy's 360-degree breakaway dunk made it 38-30 before two free throws drew the Redbirds to 38-32 at halftime. 
   
The Bulldogs fell behind again as Illinois State scored the first eight points of the second half for a 40-38 lead. But Drake recovered quickly and Wilkins hit back-to-back 3-pointers to key a 17-0 run that took just 3 1/2 minutes and appeared to give the Bulldogs control of the game at 55-40.
   
But the feisty Redbirds refused to go away. Reeves got hot and when he drove for a basket with 1:46 left, the Redbirds trailed just 71-70. They tied it on Dusan Mahorcic's free throw with 5.7 seconds remaining, but he missed his second attempt and the Bulldogs' had a final chance in regulation. But Penn missed a runner and Hemphill's tip-in didn't fall, sending the Bulldogs into overtime for the first time this season.
 
The two teams return to the court Monday evening to close the series. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. at the Knapp Center on Mediacom MC22 / ESPN3.