Box Score DES MOINES, Iowa – Tucker DeVries did most of the heavy lifting in the first half and everyone contributed after that as the Drake men's basketball team improved to 2-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 74-57 victory over Missouri State at the Knapp Center on Saturday afternoon.

The Bulldogs (7-1 overall) broke a two-game losing streak to the Bears (6-2, 1-1) and beat them at home for the first time since a 71-69 victory on Jan. 26, 2020. It was Drake's ninth straight win at the Knapp Center and the Bulldogs' third-largest victory margin in the 71-game series.

"I thought the guys played hard today," head coach Darian DeVries said. "I thought the guys were really focused today coming into this game. Missouri State has beaten us the last two years on our home floor. Our guys had a gritty, determined effort to try not to let that happen again today."

DeVries, the preseason player of the year in the Valley, scored 16 points in the first half in helping Drake build a 36-25 lead and finished with 24 as the Bulldogs pulled ahead by as many as 25 in the second half. Tucker finished 10-of-19 from the field, pulled down five rebounds, handed out two assists and made three steals.

Darnell Brodie continued his solid play with 12 points, nine rebounds, two blocks and a steal, while freshman Kevin Overton reached double figures for the sixth time, putting up 11 points and grabbing three rebounds.

Conor Enright forged another nice line with eight points, six rebounds and five assists. Kyron Gibson contributed a season-high five assists and scored five points.

The Bulldogs matched a season high with nine steals, outscored the Bears 42-28 in the paint and committed only six turnovers, the second straight game with that season-low figure.
DeVries got things started with a jumper 20 seconds into the game. Missouri State tied it twice, at 2-2 and 4-4, before DeVries turned a double-pump jumper into a three-point play for a 7-4 lead. The Bulldogs led for the rest of the game.

Drake began to get some distance from the Bears when DeVries curled around a Brodie screen, faked his defender and buried a 3 to cap a 7-0 run that made it 22-13 with 10 minutes left in the half.  DeVries later had six points in a 10-2 run that Brodie capped with a putback for a 36-22 lead.

Missouri State cut the lead to a single digit only three times after that, the last time at 47-48 with 13 minutes left. A 9-2 run that included Brodie's one-handed dunk on a sweet feed from Atin Wright quickly got the lead back to double figures and Missouri State never seriously threatened again.

When DeVries knocked down a 3 from the right wing and Brodie hustled down the floor for a putback, the lead grew to 62-44. Another Brodie follow and DeVries' pull-up jumper gave the Bulldogs their biggest lead, 74-49 with 1:45 left.

"Our energy and enthusiasm were terrific from our attention to the scouting report to the film session to the walk thru," Darian DeVries said. "You can just feel like the guys are starting to get it."

Missouri State's 57 points were a season-low for a Drake opponent. The Bulldogs held the Bears to 35.5 percent shooting, including 5-for-22 from deep, and forced 14 turnovers.
Chance Moore led Missouri State with 17 points. The Bulldogs held preseason all-Valley pick Donovan Clay to nine points on 3-for-13 shooting.

Drake will return to the non-conference portion of its schedule when Saint Louis visits the Knapp Center on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. tipoff.

TEAM NOTES
•Drake, winning a season-high fourth straight game, improved to 7-1 overall—the program's second straight 7-1 start to open the season
•The Bulldogs also moved to 2-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference maintaining a share of first place with Indiana State.
•This marked Drake's first 2-0 start in the MVC since the 2020-21 season and second under coach Darian DeVries.
•Drake earned its ninth straight home victory dating back to last year while improving its home record under Coach Darian DeVries to 73-9 since the 2018-19 campaign.
•The 57 points allowed by Drake were a season -ow by an opponent.
•Drake tied a season-low for the second straight game by committing only six turnovers.
•Drake, which owned a 36-25 halftime lead, improved to 6-0 this season when leading at half and 99-13 during the Darian DeVries coaching era.
•Drake's defense limited Missouri State guard Matthew Lee, who entered the game leading the MVC in assists (6.0 avg), to just two assists while forcing him into a season-high seven turnovers.
 
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
•Drake junior swingman Tucker DeVries, enjoying his fourth 20-plus scoring game this season (25th of career) scored a game-high 24 points.
•DeVries made three or more treys in a game for the 27^th time in his career.
•DeVries also had a game-high three steals.
•Center Darnell Brodie added 12 points and a game-high nine rebounds.
•Brodie also tied a season-high in blocked shots for the second straight game with two rejections.
•Senior guard Kyron Gibson had a season-high five assists. 
•Redshirt sophomore guard Conor Enright had a season-best six rebounds and matched his season-high of five assists.
 
THE SERIES
•This marked Drake's third largest victory margin in the 71-game series against Missouri State since claiming a 78-43 win in the Knapp Center, Feb. 22, 2015.
•Drake snapped a two-game home losing skid to Missouri State, earning its first victory in Des Moines against the Bears since a 71-69 win Jan. 26, 2020 at the Knapp Center.
•Drake, snapping a two-game losing streak to the Bears, still trail the overall series to Missouri State, 48-23. It was Drake's first victory against Missouri State in the regular season since Jan. 27, 2021.