LINCOLN, Neb. – Trailing by eight points at halftime, the Drake men's basketball team gutted out a physical 58-52 win over No. 15 Mississippi State at the Battle in the Vault hosted inside Pinnacle Bank Arena on Tuesday, Dec. 20.
 
"I was really proud of the guys because we were able to beat them at their own game," head coach Darian DeVries said. "Matching their physicality says a lot about the type of game we played. Our guys did a great job coming out and controlling the glass on the defensive end while limiting our turnovers."
 
The first basket was not scored until 2:32 into the game when Roman Penn's mid-range jumper got the shooter's roll.
 
Sardaar Calhoun and Tucker DeVries hit triples on consecutive trips down the floor as Drake (9-3) leapt out to a 15-6 lead at the 12:09 mark of the first half. Mississippi State (11-1) answered with a 10-0 run to snag a 16-15 edge with 8:35 to go in the opening half.
 
D.J. Wilkins' record-setting three-pointer to become Drake's all-time three-point leader evened the game at 21 apiece with 5:51 remaining in the first half. Mississippi State closed the first half on a 10-2 run to take a 31-23 advantage into the break.
 
Calhoun caught fire in the second half as the DU defense buckled down. A wing trey by Trey boosted Drake in front, 38-37, while Mississippi State called a timeout nearly halfway into the second half (10:50 left).
 
Three straight buckets by Penn put Drake up 47-46 with only 4:17 to play. Calhoun's career-best fifth trifecta of the game pushed DU back ahead by a tally of 50-48 as 2:41 ticked on the clock.
 
Knotted up 50-50, DeVries and Penn dropped in a pair of mid-range shots for a two-possession lead with one more gritty minute to go. Penn sealed the game at the free throw line as Drake held Mississippi State to just 21 points in the second half.
 
"This was a big one for us," Darian DeVries said. "We didn't get rewarded with a win in Saint Louis but I thought we've made some strides over the last week. Our guys stuck together with the formula we thought would be successful."
 
Drake men's basketball has a quick turnaround as a matchup with St. Ambrose at the Knapp Center awaits tomorrow (Dec. 21) at 1 p.m.
 
TEAM NOTES
•This marked Drake's first victory over a nationally ranked team since beating then No. 22 Loyola Chicago, 51-50, on Feb. 14, 2021.
•Mississippi State entered the game as one of five remaining undefeated Division I teams owning an 11-0 record.
•The Bulldogs halted a three-game losing streak against schools from Power Five Conferences claiming its first win over a Power Five opponent clipping Kansas State, 80-70, in their 2020-21 season opener Nov. 25, 2020, in Manhattan, Kan., in the Little Apple Classic.
•The victory marked Drake's 30^th win over an AP Top 25 opponent.
•Drake held Mississippi State, which was averaging 69.7 points, to a season-low 52 points.
•The Bulldogs also snapped a seven-game losing streak to SEC opponents, earning their first victory against an SEC school since beating Georgia, 66-60, in the third place game of the Dayton (Ohio) Classic Dec. 22, 1973.
•Drake made a season-high 10 three-point baskets
*Meanwhile Drake recorded season lows in free throws made (six) and free throws attempted (six).
•Drake tied Mississippi State in rebounding, 36-36, marking the first time this season Mississippi State did not out-rebound an opponent.
•Drake coach Darian DeVries improved his coaching career record against Chris Jans coached teams to 2-0 as the Bulldogs beat New Mexico State, 66-63, in the semifinal round of the 2018 Continental Tires Las Vegas Classic.
•Drake improved to 34-4 during the Darian DeVries coaching era when limiting opponents between 50 to 59 points.
•Drake evened its record to 2-2 this season when trailing at halftime.
•Drake is 2-0 this season, when playing in gray uniforms.
•This marked the first time Drake played on a Tuesday this season.
 
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
•Graduate guard Roman Penn scored a game-high 19 points, including 12 in the second half. His 19 points surpassed his combined total of 18 points in his previous two games.
•Penn scored Drake's last six points of the game in the final 1:02 - a basket and four free throws.
•Swingman Sardaar Calhoun added 17 points, including 14 points in the second half. It marked his seventh double-figure scoring game of season—including his third straight.
•Calhoun tied a career-high with five three-point baskets with four coming in the second half.
•Sophomore swingman Tucker DeVries added 15 points with 10 coming in the first period. It marked his 11th double-figure scoring game of the season.
•DeVries made three three-point baskets, marking the fourth time this season he has made three-plus treys in a game and the 19th time in his career.
•Graduate swingman Garrett Sturtz grabbed a game-high nine rebounds for Drake, including six in the first half.
•Graduate guard D.J. Wilkins, appearing in his 139th career game for Drake, made one three-point basket to become Drake's career three-point baskets made leader at 256, surpassing Josh Young who made 255 from 2006-10.
•Drake center Darnell Brodie helped limit Mississippi State's leading scorer Tolu Smith (16.2 ppg) to just nine points.
 
THE SERIES
•Drake earned its first victory in three meetings in the all-time series against Mississippi State.
•This was the first meeting between the schools since they played in Starkville, Miss., Dec. 10, 1991.