DES MOINES, Iowa -- The Drake University men's basketball team blew open the game in the second half and rolled past Indiana State 74-58 at the Knapp Center on Monday night to reach 20 victories for a school-record fourth straight season.

"We came out a little flat," head coach Darian DeVries said. "I thought we did a great job in the second half of challenging Indiana State on everything. Our defense led to turnovers, which led to transition baskets and we were able to get going from there."

Roman Penn and D.J. Wilkins led the Bulldogs with 15 points each and Penn became the first Drake player to reach 400 career assists, handing out five to run his total to 403 as Drake won its third straight game after a three-game losing streak.

Freshman Tucker DeVries, the current MVC Newcomer of the Week, added 14 points to go with five rebounds and Garrett Sturtz turned in his usual solid game with 12 points and six rebounds. ShanQuan Hemphill contributed nine points and five rebounds off the bench, while Tremell Murphy lead the team with seven rebounds and blocked two shots.

Defense also was instrumental for the Bulldogs (20-9, 11-5 Missouri Valley Conference), who buckled down in the second half and closed the game with a 33-11 run over the final 14 ½ minutes to sweep the regular-season series with the Sycamores (11-17, 4-12).

Cameron Henry led Indiana State with 17 points and Kailex Stephens scored 16 but was limited to four in the second half.
Indiana State found openings on the perimeter at the outset, knocking down four early 3-pointers and going 8-for-15 from deep in taking a 36-32 halftime lead.

But the Bulldogs shut things down in the second half, holding the Sycamores to 25 percent shooting (6-for-24), including 2-for-9 from 3-point range.
While that was going on, the offense started clicking. Penn and Wilkins hit mid-range jumpers coming off screens, Hemphill and Sturtz got to the basket for layups and Darnell Brodie chipped in with six points, including a rim-shaking two-handed dunk on a feed from Penn. Wilkins finished 7-for-10 from the field with a 3-pointer. Penn also connected from long range and went 7-for-13 overall.

"I thought he really gave us a huge spark with his mid-range game," DeVries said. "He did a great job facilitating, but also was aggressive when he had the opportunity to score."

Drake pulled ahead briefly in the second half when DeVries converted a three-point play for a 39-38 lead. Indiana State quickly regained the lead and was up 45-41 when Julian Larry hit a 3-pointer at the 15:04 mark. But the Sycamores managed only one basket over the next 10 minutes and Drake took control.

Wilkins hit three jumpers in a 10-2 run that made it 51-47. After an Indiana State bucket, the Bulldogs rattled off 10 straight points capped by a Wilkins steal and layup. It was 64-49 and the Bulldogs weren't finished yet.

"What people don't talk about enough is D.J.'s defense," DeVries said. "Defensively, I thought he had a great pace and rhythm tonight. He had a tremendous all-around game."

Brodie's dunk made it 68-52, Sturtz went up and under for a layup for a 72-56 lead and Penn followed with a lob to Hemphill for a slam that gave the Bulldogs their biggest lead, 74-56.

Drake shot 54.3 percent in the second half to finish a respectable 47.1 percent for the game. The Bulldogs committed just seven turnovers and came up with seven steals, the 12^th time in the last 13 game they've had at least seven.

The Bulldogs are in the midst of a busy stretch of four games in eight games. They'll be back in action on Wednesday night at Valparaiso.

TEAM NOTES
•Drake, winning its third straight game, improved its record to 20-9, marking the fourth straight season the program has won 20 games and ninth time in program history.
•The Bulldogs moved 11-5 in the Missouri Valley Conference, marking the third time in the last four seasons (including two straight years) the Bulldogs have won 11 or more conference games.
•This marked Darian DeVries' 90th career coaching victory at Drake tying him with Jack McClelland for fifth on the school's career victory list. His .703 winning percentage is the best for a Drake coach with multiple seasons.
•Drake improved its home record to 13-3 this season and 65-11 since the 2017-18 campaign.
•Drake collected seven steals, marking the 12^th time in the last 13 games the Bulldogs have collected seven or more assists. 
•Drake outscored Indiana State in points off turnovers, 16-2. 
•Drake collected 12 offensive rebounds, marking the 18^th time the Bulldogs have collected 10 or more offensive rebounds this season including the eighth time against an MVC opponent. 
•Drake outrebounded Indiana State, 40-30, improving its record to 17-2 when outrebounded opponents.
•Drake erased a 36-32 halftime deficit, evening its record to 6-6 this season when trailing at halftime.
•DeVries improved his head-to-head coaching record against Indiana State to 7-1
 
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
•D.J. Wilkins broke out of a shooting slump by scoring team-high 15 points, including 13 in the second half. 
•Guard Roman Penn also scored 15 points.
•Tucker DeVries added 14 points, including 11 in the first half.
•Garrett Sturtz scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds.
•Tremell Murphy led Drake with seven rebounds, while blocking a game-high two shots, He has now blocked seven shots over the last three games.
•DeVries also moved into No. 11 on the MVC freshman single-season scoring list with 408 points.
•DeVries became just the third freshman in Drake history to score 400-plus points in a season, joining Luke McDonald (2000-01, 412) and Reed Timmer (2014-15, 428)
•DeVries enjoyed his 26^thdouble-figure scoring game of the season 
•DeVries scored eight of Drake's last 13 points to end the half.
•Penn dished out a game-high five assists, while becoming the first Drake player to collect 400 or more assists. He pushed his career totals to 403.
•Wilkins also moved into a tie for No 4 on the Drake career three-point basket list at 234 with Ben Simons (2009-12).
•Penn also made his first three-point basket over the last six games.
•Murphy also made a three-point basket. He was 0-11 shooting beyond the three-point arc in his last four home games. 
 
THE SERIES
•Drake, winning its fourth straight victory in the series, improved its series record against Indiana State to 48-47.
•Mark Drake's fifth straight win against the Sycamores in Des Moines dating back to Jan. 11, 2017.