DES MOINES, Iowa -- The Drake University men's basketball team turned up the defensive pressure in the second half, got a season-best 20 points from D.J. Wilkins and pulled into a tie for first place in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 77-68 victory over Loyola before a raucous "White Out" crowd at the Knapp Center on Sunday afternoon.
 
The Bulldogs followed up two gritty overtime victories on the road with a solid win on their own floor in front of their largest crowd of the season - 3,994. Drake improved its Valley record to 7-2 to tie Loyola for the lead at the halfway point in the conference season and now stands 16-6 overall.
 
Coach Darian DeVries' crew did it with balance on offense, sharp free throw shooting and some key stops on the defensive end while building a 13-point lead in the second half. Drake came up with eight steals while forcing the normally sure-handed Ramblers into 16 turnovers. Loyola had averaged just 7.5 turnovers in its four previous games.
 
"We had to scrap the game plan defensively and go with plan B," head coach Darian DeVries said. "It wasn't a major change, but I thought (Darnell) Brodie's activity to keep the ball in front of him was terrific in the second half and then we were able to swarm with bodies to the non-shooters."
 
Drake dug itself out of an early 11-4 hole with a 13-2 run in which five different players scored, Sturtz capping the burst with a jump hook in the lane for a 17-13 lead. Norris quickly got the Ramblers back in the lead, feeding Knight for two layups and canning a 3 to make it 20-17.
 
Loyola pushed its lead to 27-22 and was up 29-25 when Drake closed the half with a flurry. Ayo Akinwole fed Brodie for a dunk, DeVries buried a 3 and, with time about to expire, Wilkins drove for a layup to put the Bulldogs ahead 32-31 at the break.
 
Knight got loose for three straight layups in the first 2:08 of the second half before the Bulldogs dug in and began imposing their will on the Ramblers. They held Loyola to just three baskets over the next 11:46 and took control.
 
DeVries knocked down a 3 from the top of the key to put Drake ahead to stay at 46-43 and trigger a 13-3 run that pushed the lead to 56-46. When Sturtz canned a 3 from the top of the key on a pass from DeVries, the Bulldogs led 63-50 and that was more than enough cushion to keep the Ramblers in check the rest of the way.
 
Wilkins hit a crucial 3 after Loyola pulled to 65-57 with 3 1/2 minutes left and the Bulldogs did the rest from the line, sinking 9-of-10 in the final 2:14 to wrap up a satisfying victory. The Bulldogs' 25 free throws are a season high, they outrebounded the Ramblers 32-30 and finished with 20 points off turnovers.
     
Wilkins continued his sharp play of late, making 6-of-12 shots, including a pair of 3-pointers, and knocking down all six of his free throws. The 6-foot-2 senior has averaged 18 points over his last three games while shooting 52.8 percent (19-for-36).
 
Three others reached double figures for the Bulldogs, who outscored Loyola, 25-8 on free throws and handed the Ramblers (16-4) their first loss in a true road game this season. Drake missed only three free throws all afternoon and went 19-for-20 at the charity stripe in the second half.
 
Garrett Sturtz and Tucker DeVries each scored 13 points, with Sturtz adding six rebounds to his line and DeVries going 3-for-5 from 3-point range. ShanQuan Hemphill, continuing to work his way back from a foot injury, went 6-for-6 at the line in scoring 10 points, grabbed four rebounds, made two steals and blocked two shots.
 
Darnell Brodie also came up big in the victory, pulling down 10 rebounds to match his season high and scoring nine points.
 
Chris Knight led the Ramblers with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Braden Norris hurt the Bulldogs with 12 first-half points, but he went scoreless in the final 20 minutes and was limited to one shot. Lucas Williamson, Loyola's leading scorer for the season, was held to one basket in the first half and seven of his 11 points came after Drake had opened its 13-point lead.
 
"There are still nine conference games left and a lot of basketball to play," DeVries said. "The balance in this league is incredible. We want to enjoy this win and then get back to work."
 
Drake begins the second half of the conference season at Indiana State on Wednesday, Feb. 6, in a 6 p.m. tipoff. The Bulldogs then return home for games with UNI (Feb. 5) and Missouri State (Feb. 9).
   
TEAM NOTES  
•Drake, winning its third straight game, improved to 16-6 overall, while moving into a tie for first in the MVC with a 7-2 record, entering a Wednesday road game at Indiana State.
•This marks the fifth straight season Drake has won at least seven conference games. 
•The Bulldogs are 12-1 home this season, while improving its record in the Knapp Center to 62-9 since 2017-18. 
•Drake made a season-high 25 free throws, while hitting 89.3 percent (28 attempts). Drake made 19 of 20 free throws in the second half.
•Drake outrebounded Loyola, 32-30, improving to 13-1 when outrebounding opponents this season 
•Drake improved to 10-1 this season when leading at half and 66-7 during the DeVries era.
•Darian DeVries earned his 86^thcareer victory at Drake, including his 42nd MVC victory. 
 
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
•Senior guard D.J. Wilkins led Drake with a season-high 20 points, including 16 in the second half.
•It marked Wilkins' fifth career-20 plus scoring game, including his first this season.
•Senior swingman Garrett Sturtz and freshman swingman Tucker DeVries added 13 points apiece.
•Shanquan Hemphill, who played in his first home game since Dec. 22, collected 10 points. 
•DeVries has scored in double figures in 19 games this season, including the last seven contests.
•DeVries had three three-point baskets marking the 11^thtime he has made three or more treys in a game this season. 
•Senior center Darnell Brodie tied a season high with 10 rebounds. It marked his second straight double-figure rebounding game against Loyola after collecting11 rebounds in the 2021 MVC Tournament championship game against the Ramblers. 
•DeVries led Drake with three assists, while collecting two steals. 
•Hemphill and Tremell Murphy also had two steals apiece.
•Sturtz tied a career high with two blocked shots, while Hemphill tied a season high with two blocked shots.
 
THE SERIES
•Drake's 77 points were the most scored by a Bulldog team in the series since Drake earned a 102-98 win on Dec. 29, 2016.
•The Bulldogs earned their second win in the last three outings against Loyola.
•Drake earned consecutive home victories against Loyola for the first time since 2016.
•Drake's home record against Loyola is 11-8.
•Loyola leads the series against Drake, 22-15.