BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A last-second deep trey by Tucker DeVries forced overtime, but UAB escaped after the extra period, 79-78 inside Bartow Arena on Friday afternoon in the non-conference finale for Drake men's basketball.

"It was disappointing," head coach Darian DeVries said. "We got into attack mode more in the second half to compete hard and battle back. We put a lot into this game but just weren't able to come out on top. We will learn from it."

A dime of a bounce pass from Darnell Brodie to Tucker DeVries for a dunk got things started for Drake (11-2) to break the ice. Both teams exchanged blows as the score was even at 21 apiece just ahead of the under-8 media timeout.

Nate Ferguson's putback with 4:17 left in the opening half forced a Blazer timeout as the Bulldogs were on an 8-2 run, leading 31-25. UAB (7-5) finished the first half strong to bring the score even, 37-37 at halftime.

UAB jumped out a six-point lead of its own (55-49) with 10:51 to play in regulation after Yaxel Lendeborg scored inside. An Atin Wright corner triple pulled Drake back within a possession, trailing 57-54 with 7:50 left.

The Blazers widened the margin to 63-58 after Eric Gaines converted a layup and Darian DeVries spent his second to last remaining timeout with 4:46 left on the clock.

Wright cashed another trifecta, this time from the right wing with 3:40 to play as Drake clawed within a basket again, behind 65-63.

Trailing 69-67, Brodie turned and scored in the paint for the tie with 27.5 seconds remaining. The Blazers regained the lead on a corner three-pointer from Daniel Ortiz with only 4.3 seconds still ticking.

However, the game was not over, DeVries caught the inbound pass up top and got the shooter's roll on a 28-foot jump shot that he released just before the final buzzer sounded. The ball bounced from the front of the rim to the backboard and down to send the contest to overtime, knotted up at 72-72.

The battle continued into the overtime portion as the Blazers extended their slim edge to 79-76 after Ortiz connected on a mid-range jumper from the left elbow. During the final minute, Wright connected on a pair of free throws to bring the Bulldogs within a point again.

Brodie ripped down a key defensive rebound with 13 seconds to go as Drake moved the ball up the court to Wright, who got a look but could not knock in the go-ahead bucket.

The Bulldogs will return to action when they resume Missouri Valley Conference play at home against Illinois State on Tuesday, Jan. 2 at 8 p.m. Drake already is 2-0 in the league after victories over Valparaiso and Missouri State.

TEAM NOTES
•Drake's eight-game winning streak was snapped.
•This was Drake's first overtime game of the season. The Bulldogs are 11-5 in overtime during the Darian DeVries coaching era at Drake.
•It was also the first game this season that Drake has played in decided by five points or less.
•Drake out-rebounded UAB, 34-28, but suffered its first loss of the season in six games when it has out-rebounded the opponent.
•Drake grabbed a season-high 15 offensive rebounds, which led to 19 second-chance points.
•It marked the seventh game this season Drake has reached double figures in offensive rebounds.
•Drake made all 12 of its free throw attempts, while UAB finished 17-26 from the charity stripe.
•Drake committed a season-high 14 turnovers.
•Today was the first game this season that Drake committed more turnovers than its opponent (14-11).
•This was the first time this season Drake played on a Friday.
•There were 19 lead changes in the game and the score was tied eight times.
 
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
•Junior transfer guard Atin Wright enjoyed his fifth 20-plus scoring game of the season with a game-high 20 points including 12 in the second half. 
•It marked Wright's second straight 20-plus scoring game.
•Junior forward Tucker DeVries, returning to the starting lineup after missing the previous game against Alcorn State (shoulder), added 19 points.
•DeVries made three three-point baskets, marking the sixth time this season (30th in career) that he has made three or more treys in a game.
•Graduate student forward Darnell Brodie collected his eighth career double-double (first this season) with 12 points and a season-high 15 rebounds, while tying a career-high with five assists
•Freshman guard Colby Garland, making his second consecutive start, scored 10 points.
•Redshirt sophomore guard Conor Enright missed his first game of the season (shoulder issue). That snapped a streak of 47 consecutive appearances in a Drake uniform, while also ending a streak of 12 straight starts.
 
THE SERIES
•Today was the first-ever meeting between the two programs.