DES MOINES, Iowa – Drake expected a challenge from unbeaten Louisiana and the Bulldogs got exactly that.
 
Tucker DeVries and D.J. Wilkins each scored 21 points and Darnell Brodie delivered a big game inside with season highs of 15 points and 11 rebounds as Drake turned back the Ragin' Cajuns 76-64 at the Knapp Center on Saturday evening to remain unbeaten.
 
It wasn't easy.
 
The Bulldogs, 6-0 for the second time in three seasons, built a 20-point lead early in the second half, then had to hold off a determined comeback bid to win their 35^th straight nonconference game at home.
 
Louisiana (5-1), the preseason favorite in the Sun Belt Conference, pulled to within eight points five times before rattling off 12 in a row to cut the lead to 68-64 on Thermus Fulks' drive to the hoop with 1:27 left. But the threat died there and Drake shut out the Ragin' Cajuns the rest of the way.
 
"This is a good win for us," head coach Darian DeVries said. "You never know how the guys are going to respond after a trip like the Paradise Jam and with Thanksgiving on top of that. Louisiana showed that they are a really good basketball team."
 
DeVries scored on a drive-and-scoop to stop the Louisiana run, Brodie came up with a big rebound after the Ragin' Cajuns missed a 3-point shot and the Bulldogs wrapped it up at the free throw line – Roman Penn, Wilkins and DeVries each making two. DeVries also came up with two steals in the final minute to help protect the lead.
 
Wilkins is rounding into form after recovering from a torn ACL. The graduate senior knocked down a season-high five 3-pointers, including three during a 4-minute stretch to keep the Ragin' Cajuns from getting any closer. He finished 5-for-10 from deep and 6-for-14 overall.
 
DeVries shot 6-for-11 with two 3-pointers and added four rebounds, four assists and his two late steals. He has been on a tear lately, making 28 of his last 42 shots (67 percent) over the past four games. The Bulldogs came into this game after winning three times in four days to claim the championship of the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
 
Eric Northweather turned in a nice game off the bench in relief on Brodie, finishing with six points, four rebounds, a steal and a block in 15 ½ minutes.  Conor Enright gave the Bulldogs a solid 18 minutes with two points, two assists and three rebounds.
 
Fulks led Louisiana with 13 points, getting most of his eight field goals on drives to the basket. Greg Williams added 12 points for the Ragin' Cajuns, who made it a game after shooting just 27 percent in the first half, including 1-for-14 from 3-point range.
 
Louisiana got to the basket early and often, scoring five times on drives and hitting a jumper in taking a 12-9 lead. But the Bulldogs cut off those driving lanes, held the Ragin' Cajuns to three baskets the rest of the half and pulled away.
 
Louisiana held its last lead at 15-14 on Jalen Dalcourt's 3-pointer at the 10:50 mark. DeVries countered with a long 3 from halfway between the Bulldog logo and the top of the key, triggering a 26-6 run that put Drake in front 40-21.
 
DeVries scored 13 in that burst and added a sweet bounce pass to Northweather for a layup. Just before that, Northweather emerged from a crowd with a rebound and got the ball to Roman Penn, who dropped in a floater in transition for a 26-17 lead.
 
DeVries buried a 3 from the left corner and Enright scored on a strong drive to the hoop to produce the 19-point lead before a Louisiana bucket in the closing seconds of the half left the Bulldogs ahead 40-23.
 
Brodie scored on a putback to lift Drake into a 45-25 lead with 16:27 left, but the Bulldogs slipped into a bit of a funk after that, missing shots and turning the ball over, and the Ragin' Cajuns stormed back and forced the 'Dogs to earn it.
 
"It's been three games now that we've built a sizeable lead at halftime and have given it back," DeVries said. "With a veteran group, we should be building on what we did in the first half. We will certainly take a look at it as there are adjustments we need to make."
 
Drake, favored to win the Missouri Valley Conference championship, starts league play at Indiana State on Wednesday, Nov. 30, at 6 p.m. CST. The Bulldogs will be back home next Saturday, Dec. 3, to play MVC newcomer UIC at the Knapp Center at 5 p.m.
 
TEAM NOTES

• It was a Top-10 battle in the collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll as Drake is ranked third and Louisiana is ranked seventh in the latest poll.
• Drake improved its record to 22-16 on Saturdays under head coach Darian DeVries.
• Drake is 58-8 at home during the Darian DeVries era.
• Drake's home non-conference win streak has been extended to 35 games.

 
INDIVIDUAL NOTES

• Darnell Brodie delivered a season-high 15 points and 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the season (fourth double-double of his career).
• D.J. Wilkins finished with 21 points including five converted shots from behind the arc just shy of his career-highs in those categories (23 points, six three-pointers).
• Wilkins scored 20 or more points for the sixth time in his career. Wilkins has made three or more three-pointers in a game 38 times.
• Tucker DeVries has scored at least 21 points in five of the first six games this season.
• DeVries scored 20 or more points for the 10^th time in his career.

 
THE SERIES

• Tonight was the inaugural meeting between the two programs.