The Drake University men's basketball team bounced back from its first loss of the season with a solid effort on both ends of the court in beating UNI 80-59 at the Knapp Center on Wednesday night.
  
Tremell Murphy and Joseph Yesufu each scored 18 points to lead the Bulldogs, who showed no hangover from their loss at Valparaiso on Sunday and improved to 19-1 overall and 10-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference. It was a career high for Yesufu, who went 9-for-9 from the free throw line and put Drake ahead to stay with a 3-pointer midway through the first half.
  
Murphy knocked down 7-of-9 shots, including a couple of 3-pointers, and D.J. Wilkins went 6-for-7 from the field in scoring 15 points. He also had four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
  
"I thought it was a good win for us tonight, the guys played well at both ends of the floor and were able to get back on the winning track tonight," said Drake head coach Darian DeVries.
 
The Bulldogs got a big lift off the bench from redshirt freshman Issa Samake, who played a season-high 16 minutes while Darnell Brodie was on the bench with foul trouble. Samake grabbed a season-best five rebounds, scored four points, blocked a shot and had an assist.
  
The 21-point margin tied for Drake's largest against UNI in a game as MVC opponents and followed a 77-56 win over the Panthers in last season's conference tournament. Tre Berhow led the Panthers (6-13, 4-9) with 14 points, while Bowen Born and Austin Phyfe each scored 10. Brodie and Samake kept Phyfe in check throughout the game, holding the 6-foot-9, 250-pounder to four field goals in 10 shots.
   
Drake held the Panthers to 38 percent shooting in the first half and 41 percent for the game. UNI went just 5-for-20 from 3-point range. Drake shot 47.6 percent after starting 6-for-19 from the field and posted its 14th double-figure victory of the season.
 
"UNI was coming off a win against Indiana State who had won seven in row," "We knew we were going to have to play well to come away with a win. It was a critical game for us to come back and get a win, especially with Loyola coming in this weekend. We needed to get our heads back up."
  
The victory moves Drake a half-game closer to first-place Loyola in the Valley race. Loyola (17-3, 12-1), which was idle Wednesday night, visits the Knapp Center for a crucial two-game series on Saturday and Sunday.
  
Drake and UNI traded baskets early and there were six lead changes before Yesufu connected on a three-pointer from the left corner for a 15-14 lead. The Bulldogs never trailed again.
  
Murphy hit consecutive 3s from the right wing to stretch the lead to 22-14 and the Bulldogs ended up outscoring UNI 29-15 over the last 10 minutes of the half to go up 41-29. Samake finished the half with a jump hook after grabbing an offensive rebound as time expired.
  
Wilkins hit a jumper and buried a three-pointer from the top of the key to start a 7-0 run that stretched the Bulldogs' lead to 48-32 early in the second half. UNI clawed back to 52-45 when Phyfe backed in and hit a turnaround, but the Panthers got no closer, thanks in part to quick hands from Garrett Sturtz.
  
Sturtz stole the ball on consecutive UNI possessions and hit Murphy in transition for layups both times, triggering a 12-2 run that left the Bulldogs ahead 64-47. ShanQuan Hemphill, who finished with eight points and a game-high nine rebounds, capped that burst with a soaring two-handed dunk.
 
"He [Sturtz] really gave us a nice burst when it was in that 10-12 point range and made a couple of plays that allowed us to extend it further," DeVries said.
  
Jonah Jackson's 3-pointer with 1:06 left gave Drake's its biggest lead of the night at 80-57.
 
The critical series versus Loyola looms next for the Bulldogs with a pair of nationally televised games on ESPN2 against the Ramblers. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.