OMAHA, Neb. – Trailing at halftime, the Drake (6-3, 1-0) men's basketball team overcame its biggest deficit of the season to defeat Omaha (1-8) by a final score of 78-70 inside Baxter Arena on Wednesday, Dec. 8.  
 
"It was tough for us," head coach Darian DeVries said. "We had a rough first half. We got outplayed and could never get going. But in the second half, we had some things start to happen in a positive way for us."
 
Only a minute into the contest, Tucker DeVries buried a 3-pointer for a quick 3-2 advantage. DeVries racked up seven points before the 14:50 mark with Drake ahead, 9-4.
 
Against his former team, Ayo Akinwole drained back-to-back treys from 8:47-8:13 as the game was knotted at 18 points apiece. The Mavericks immediately responded with a 9-0 run from 8:13-6:11. Omaha controlled a 37-27 halftime advantage.
 
"When you start playing hard and dictating on the defensive end then your offense follows suit," DeVries said. "We moved the ball on offense in the second half. It wasn't all clean and easy. We made enough plays at the end to get some cushion."
 
Omaha built its largest lead (41-30) of the game with 17:50 left in the second half. Drake's first run of the second half occurred from 17:50-15:42 and was capped off by a Tucker DeVries 4-point play with the score evened at 41 all.
 
"I thought Tucker (DeVries) was great," DeVries said. "Especially in the second half, making key plays for us. He gave us a great spark."
 
Behind 53-47 with 11:55 to go, back-to-back trifectas by D.J. Wilkins and Tucker DeVries contributed to a 17-0 run that ended with 5:38 on the clock and the Bulldogs up 64-53.
 
Free throws in the final minute sealed Drake's first road victory of the season, 78-70.
 
Darrius Hughes paced the Mavericks in scoring with 15 points and hauled in six rebounds. Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler ripped down a team-high eight rebounds and scored 10 points.
 
The Bulldogs travel to Atlanta for their Holiday Hoopsgiving matchup against Clemson on Saturday (Dec. 11) at 1 p.m. (CT)
 
TEAM NOTES
•Drake tied a season high with its third straight victory, including second consecutive against a Summit League opponent (St. Thomas Sunday), to improve its record to 6-3 entering a Saturday contest against Clemson.
•Drake staged its biggest comeback of the season, overcoming an 11-point deficit (41-30) in the second half.
•Drake enjoyed its biggest run of the season, outscoring Omaha, 17-0, during a 6:01 stretch midway through the second half (11:39-5:38) to turn a 53-47 deficit into a 64-53 lead.
•This marked the first time Drake had five players score in double figures this season.
•Drake shot a season-high 81 percent from the free throw line (17-21)
•Drake shot 57.7 percent (15-26) from the floor in the second half
•Drake outscored Omaha, 22-7, in points off turnovers
•Drake improved its record 2-3 when trailing at halftime in games this season
•This marked the first time this season in four contests that Drake won a game despite being outrebounded (36-27)
•Drake is 23-3 in games played in December during the Darian DeVries coaching era.
 
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
•Five players scored in double figures for Drake led by freshman swingman Tucker DeVries, who had a career-high 24 points, while enjoying his second straight 20-plus scoring game
*DeVries drilled a career-high five three-point baskets, marking the fourth time he has made three or more treys in a game
•Forward Tremell Murphy added 13 points, including seven in the second half
•Swingman Garrett Sturtz scored 11 points, including nine in the second half. 
•Guard D.J. Wilkins and forward Shaquan Hemphill each tallied 10 points, including eight apiece in the second half.
•Sturtz tied a season high for the third time this season by collecting three steals.