TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Drake men's basketball team awoke from a slow start in the second half, but a late push by Indiana State propelled the Sycamores to victory in a 75-73 decision to open Missouri Valley Conference play at the Hulman Center on Wednesday (Nov. 30). Drake (6-1, 0-1 in MVC play) suffered its first loss of the season while Indiana State (7-1, 1-0) began conference play in the win column.

"We put ourselves in a tough position when you come out a little flat," head coach Darian DeVries said. "From that point on, it was climbing uphill. I was proud of how we responded after a slow start to give us a chance."
 
Roman Penn erupted for a career-high 32 points while dishing out four assists and swiping three steals. Tucker DeVries delivered 15 points and hauled in six rebounds. Sturtz snagged a season-high 13 rebounds and picked up four steals. Darnell Brodie was a force inside with 10 points, scoring in double figures for the third time this season.
 
"We got Roman some easy looks," Darian DeVries said. "We couldn't finish it off. It was a great effort to claw back into it but we have to close the door. You can't put yourself in those spots to come out lethargic."
 
A minute into the contest, D.J. Wilkin s connected on a trifecta that was followed by an 8-0 Indiana State run answered by a Garrett Sturtz layup to make it 8-5 at the 16:41 mark of the first half. The Sycamores kept their foot on the gas pedal creating a 21-9 advantage thanks to a 13-2 run that wasn't snapped until Darnell Brodie posted up inside for a bucket halfway through the first half.
 
Indiana State kept feeding freshman Center Robbie Avila, who had 10 points by halftime. The Bulldogs trailed 29-15 with seven minutes remaining in the opening frame as they found themselves in a shooting rut. A DeVries triple and another Brodie bucket brought the deficit back within single digits at 29-20.

Kailex Stephens drove to the cup for a lay-in and a 42-29 lead with only 1:12 to go before the break. With under a minute left, Sturtz jumped in front of the inbounds pass for a steal and then converted a layup while being fouled for an old-fashioned three point play. The Sycamores finished the first half 8-of-17 from beyond the arc and the Bulldogs turned the ball over seven times, to only trail 42-34 at the half.
 
DeVries found Brodie cutting to the basket for an easy layup as it became a two-possession ballgame once again (46-40, 17:22 left in second half). From the left wing, DeVries nailed the trey and was fouled in the act of shooting. The Preseason MVC Player of the Year hit the free throw for the rare four-point play. Just a play later, another Brodie inside bucket tied the game at 48 apiece with 13:43 remaining in the second half.
 
The Sycamores responded with a 5-0 spurt highlighted by a Courvoisier McCauley pull-up three-pointer as Drake fell behind 53-48.
 
Coming off a screen, DeVries drained a wing three-ball to trim the Sycamore advantage to 54-53 with 9:35 left.
 
With the score even, 63-63, Penn hit a mid-range jumper and followed that up by knocking the ball free for a steal leading to a layup on the other end.
 
Now ahead, 67-63, the Bulldogs attempted to shake the Sycamores. Penn's floater (six consecutive points) secured his career-high 28 points and a 69-64 lead with 3:57 left in regulation. Indiana State narrowed the gap and knotted the game, 69-69 with 1:35 remaining on the clock. Playing with four fouls, Cameron Henry made a strong drive to the basket and got the ball to go off the window for a 71-69 edge.
 
The Sycamores cashed in late at the charity stripe, for a 75-71 lead in the final 12 seconds of the ballgame. Penn jetted to the basket for a layup with only 1.9 seconds ticking. The ensuing inbounds play by Indiana State was deflected out of bounds by the Sycamores with 0.9 seconds left. The Bulldogs drew up a play with a chance to win at the buzzer, but a three-point attempt from DeVries was barely off the mark as Indiana State won the MVC opener, 75-73.
 
"I thought the guys executed the last seconds to give us a shot," Darian DeVries said. "Roman delivered well and Tucker got a shot."

Drake's next game is another Missouri Valley Conference contest against UIC at the Knapp Center on Saturday, Dec. 3 with tip-off scheduled for 5 p.m.

TEAM NOTES
•Drake slipped to 6-1 this season, while dropping its Missouri Valley Conference opener. It was the first time the Bulldogs lost their MVC opener since falling to Bradley to open the 2019-20 league season.
•Drake collected a season-high 11 steals.
•Indiana State outrebounded Drake, 38-34, marking the first time the Bulldogs were outrebounded in a game this season.
•Drake recorded a season-low in three-point baskets at four.
•Drake trailed 42-34 at halftime – its largest halftime deficit of the season.
•Drake is 1-1 in games decided by five points or less, including a 28-15 mark during the Darian DeVries coaching era.
•Drake is 2-3 in MVC openers during the Darian DeVries coaching era.
 
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
•Guard Roman Penn tallied a career high with  32 points for Drake, including 20 in the second half. The 32 points equaled his combined effort of 32 points in his previous four games entering tonight.
•Penn scored 18 of Drake's last 19 points of the game including eight straight points in a 91-second stretch.
•Penn also set a career high with 13 field goals.
•It also marked the seventh career 20-plus scoring game for Penn.
•Sophomore Tucker DeVries added 15 points, including 10 in the second half.
*Center Darnell Brodie scored 10 points
•Garrett Sturtz collected a season-high 13 rebounds, while recording his 11^thdouble-figure rebounding effort of his career including his second this season.
•Sturtz also recorded a season-high four steals.
•Penn added four assists and a season-high three steals.
 
THE SERIES
•Drake had a four-game winning streak against the Sycamores snapped while the all-time series is evened at 48-48 including a 16-33 mark in Terre Haute.
•This marked Drake's first loss at Indiana State since Jan. 29, 2020 after winning its previous three trips to Terre Haute.