DES MOINES, Iowa – Drake coach Darian DeVries recruited Atin Wright for his scoring and the 6-foot-1 junior showed why at the Knapp Center on Tuesday night.
Wright, who transferred in from Call State Northridge, scored 25 points on a variety of shots to help the Bulldogs beat Southwest Minnesota State 87-67 for their second victory in as many games.

The Division II Mustangs gave the Bulldogs trouble throughout the first half with their offensive rebounding and scoring inside. But Drake used a big run at the start of the second to build a comfortable lead and improve the team's record to 56-1 under DeVries when scoring at least 80 points. It was Drake's 39^th straight non-conference victory at home.

"We are growing," head coach Darian DeVries said. "We came out in the second half with a really good mindset. There is plenty to build on and plenty to work on. We're getting there. You can't replace experience. Our team is learning to play with each other and that is part of the process."

Another newcomer, freshman Kevin Overton, scored 19 points for the Bulldogs and Tucker DeVries followed up his career-high 36 points in the opener with a solid outing: 21 points, eight rebounds, four assists and a career-high four steals. DeVries went 7-for-11 from the field and knocked down a couple of 3-pointers, including a step-back from the right corner just 13 seconds into the game.

Wright scored on a couple of drives, hit two short jumpers and went 3-for-5 on 3-pointers. He also sank 8 of his 9 free throws, handed out three assists and did not have a turnover.
Junior Nate Ferguson made the first start of his career and finished with two points, three rebounds, an assist and a steal. Eric Northweather also saw action in the post and scored six points on 2-for-5 shooting from deep.

While the game counted for the Bulldogs, it was an exhibition for Southwest Minnesota State (2-0), which was coming off a victory over Northwest Missouri State, the top-ranked team in Division II.  But the Mustangs played like it was the real thing.

They hit the boards hard in the opening half and came up with 10 second-chance points to keep it close after Drake wiped out an early 10-6 deficit with an 11-0 run that Overton ignited with the first of three buckets from beyond the arc.

Drake opened a 30-20 lead on Overton's traditional three-point play, but the Mustangs clawed back and trailed just 38-33 at halftime, outrebounding the Bulldogs 22-16 in the period and coming up with nine offensive boards.

The Bulldogs took the ball more aggressively to the basket in the second half and were rewarded with layups or free throws. Conor Enright buried a 3 from the left corner on a pass from DeVries to start the half, which the Bulldogs opened with a 20-4 run to take control. Overton capped the burst with a pair of 3-pointers just 14 seconds apart for a 58-37 lead.
An Overton layup gave the Bulldogs their biggest lead of the evening, 76-52 with 5:02 left.

Drake sank 14 of 19 free throws in the second half after going to the line only seven times in the opening 20 minutes. The Bulldogs also rebounded better in the second half, though Southwest Minnesota State still finished with a 34-31 edge. Drake also took good care of the ball, turning it over only seven times.

Freshman Aaron Stevens and 6-foot-9 Jake Phipps led Southwest Minnesota State with 16 points each and Phipps grabbed 11 rebounds.

The Bulldogs head out on major road trip for their next action. They'll meet Oakland University on Sunday, Nov. 19 at 10 a.m. CT in the first of three games in three days at the Cayman Islands Classic.

"I love these trips and opportunities," DeVries said. "It will be like a conference tournament with three games in three days. When you get to play on an island, it doesn't get any better than that. It's not a vacation though, we're going to try to win three games in three days."

Drake will be back at the Knapp Center on Saturday, Nov. 25 to play Texas Southern.

TEAM NOTES
• Drake is off to its fourth straight 2-0 start.
• The Bulldogs are now 258-132 against non-NCAA Division I opponents.
• Darian DeVries improved his Drake career coaching record to 124-48.
• Drake shot 53.7 percent from the floor (29-54).
• Drake improved to 56-1 when scoring 80 or more points during the Darian DeVries coaching era.
• Drake improved its record 17-5 on Tuesdays during the Darian DeVries coaching era. 

INDIVIDUAL NOTES
• Nate Ferguson earned his first career start.
• Tucker DeVries snagged a career-high four steals and was Drake's second-leading scorer with 21 points.
• DeVries also paced Drake with eight rebounds and four assists.
• Transfer Atin Wright led the Bulldogs in scoring with 25 points, his most in a Drake uniform, on a 7-of-13 showing from the field.
• Carlos Rosario matched his career-best scoring output with seven points.
• Freshman guard Kevin Overton matched his career-high with three made three-pointers, his second-straight such game to start his Bulldog career.

THE SERIES
• This was the first meeting between the schools.