DES MOINES, Iowa – Darnell Brodie's best game of the season helped the Drake men's basketball team turn back Omaha for a 78-65 victory at the Knapp Center on Wednesday night.

Brodie scored a season-high 17 points and matched his season best with 11 rebounds as the Bulldogs (8-1) won their 36^th straight nonconference game at home. They had to work for it, though.

Omaha (3-7), playing the sixth of seven straight road games, hung around most of the night and the Bulldogs never got comfortable until pulling away in the final 5 minutes.

All five Drake starters scored in double figures. Garrett Sturtz scored 14 points – all in the second half -- on 6-for-8 shooting and knocked down two 3-pointers for the second straight game. Before that, he had been 0-for-2 from long range this season.

Tucker DeVries, celebrating his 20^th birthday, added 13 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals, while Roman Penn and DJ Wilkins each scored 11. Penn also had five rebounds and four assists. Wilkins went 3-for-6 from 3-point range and has 252 treys in his career, just three behind school record holder Josh Young.

Brodie made 5-of-8 shots and had a career night at the free throw line, sinking 7-of-8. He had never made more than four free throws in a game previously. It was the fifth career double-double for the big fella, who handed out three assists and came up with a steal.

"Darnell has been on a steady commitment to producing the way he has," head coach Darian DeVries said. "He's put in the effort and now you're seeing the results."

JJ White led Omaha, which plays in the Summit League, with 18 points and Marquel Sutton scored 16.

Neither team led by more than two points until Drake held the Mavs scoreless for 5:16 and ran off nine straight points for a 25-17 lead. Wilkins hit a 3 from the top of the key to kick off that run and Penn threaded a pass through traffic to Brodie to make it 23-17. Brodie's two free throws pushed the margin to eight, but the Mavs clawed back and the Bulldogs needed DeVries' driving layup for a 29-26 halftime lead.

"I thought we missed a lot of good opportunities around the rim in the first half," Darian DeVries said. "You miss three or four of those and the first half feels a lot different. Defensively, I thought we did some good stuff in the first half."

Brodie fed Sturtz for two straight layups as Drake started the second half with a 10-2 run, but that still wasn't enough. A 12-2 burst pulled Omaha into a 45-43 lead on White's 3-pointer with 13:13 left, forcing coach Darian DeVries to call a timeout. The Bulldogs quickly responded.

Brodie sank a free throw, Penn fed Sardaar Calhoun for a layup and DeVries converted a three-point play on a tough leaner for a 49-45 lead. The Bulldogs never trailed again, though the Mavs kept within striking distance until the final minutes.

Penn and Wilkins each hit a 3 and Brodie found Sturtz for a layup with a slick hook pass for a 73-61 lead that finally left the Bulldogs safely ahead. Sturtz followed with his second 3-pointer a minute later and Penn dropped in a shot after grabbing an offensive rebound to wrap things up.

"We had a little more urgency in the second half," Darian DeVries said. "I thought the ball screen offense was good to us. We were able to get Brodie some pick-and-roll actions to try to get to the rim."

Drake heads out on the road for its next game, playing at Richmond on Saturday. Tip-off time is 1 p.m. CST.

TEAM NOTES
•Drake extended its home game winning streak to eight games dating back to last year.
•Drake won its 36th consecutive non-conference home game
•The Bulldogs improved their home record under coach Darian DeVries to 60-8
•Drake outrebounded Omaha, 39-27, improving its record to 6-0 this season when outrebounding opponents and 78-13 during the Darian DeVries coaching era. It also snapped a string of two straight games in which the Bulldogs have been outrebounded.
•Drake's nine turnovers were its second-lowest in a game this season.
•Drake moved to 7-0 when leading at halftime and 80-10 during the Darian DeVries coaching era.
 
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
•Center Darnell Brodie led Drake by collecting his third double-double of the season (fifth of career) with a season-high 17 points while tying a season-high with 11 high rebounds.
•It also marked Brodie's third double-figure scoring game in the last four contests.
•Brodie also made a career-high seven free throws out of a career-high eight attempts.
•Garrett Sturtz collected 14 points — all in the second half. It marked his fourth double-figure scoring game of the season.
•Sturtz made two three-point baskets for the second consecutive game.
•Sophomore swingman Tucker DeVries added 13 points, including nine in the second half, along with six rebounds.
•Guards D.J. Wilkins and Roman Penn chipped in with 11 points apiece.
•Penn collected a team-high four assists.
•Wilkins made three three-point baskets, marking the 39th time in his career that he has made three-plus treys in a game including the second time this season.
•DeVries was 0-for-8 beyond the three-point arc, marking the first time this season he didn't make a three-point basket in a game. It ended a streak of 12 consecutive games in which he had made at least one three-point basket dating back to last season.
 
THE SERIES
•The Bulldogs, winning their fourth straight game against Omaha, improved their record to 11-1 in the series.
•Drake is 9-0 against the Mavericks in games played in Des Moines.