HENDERSON, Nev. – Drake men's basketball's pack of Dogs got hot in the second half and locked in on defense the entire game to defeat Nevada for the first time this season, 72-53 in the Jack Jones Classic at the Dollar Loan Center on Saturday, Dec. 9.

"I have a ton of respect for Nevada," head coach Darian DeVries said. "They have great length, size and experience. We fought collectively and everybody brought something different to this game for us. Our fight was awesome and that gets me excited."

The Bulldogs (9-1) got off to a quick 7-0 start through the first three minutes of the contest.

Both teams were cold offensively in the first half shooting from both teams. Drake was 37.5 percent (12-for-32) from the field in the opening half while connecting on three-of-15 shots from beyond the arc in the opening frame. The Bulldogs limited Nevada 23.8 percent shooting in the first (5-for-21) while the Wolf Pack only made one of 12 three-point attempts.

Eric Northweather came off the bench and contributed a wing trifecta for a 28-17 advantage in the final minute of the first half. The Bulldogs battled foul trouble with Darnell Brodie, Tucker DeVries and Atin Wright.

Drake controlled a 28-19 lead at halftime before extending the margin to 15 points (47-32) with 13:17 on the clock after Kevin Overton converted a fastbreak layup forcing Nevada head coach Steve Alford to take a timeout. A couple of minutes later, Kyron Gibson handed Drake a 20-point lead after a three-point basket from Kyron Gibson.

"I loved our team focus," Darian DeVries said. "Our guys were maybe as connected defensively as they have been all year. We picked up where we left off in the second half of the Saint Louis game."

The Wolf Pack (7-1) responded with an 8-0 run, before the Bulldogs clamped down on defense and Tucker DeVries kept draining shots from various spaces on the floor. Colby Garland hit a late corner triple in the waning moments of regulation to bring the final score to 72-53.

"It was a total team effort," Tucker DeVries said. "We struggled shooting in the first half, but we stayed confident. We knew we had to stay engaged for 40 minutes and we had to keep putting our foot down. It shows how far this group has come."

Drake will return home at the Knapp Center on Thursday, Dec. 14 against Grambling State at 7 p.m.

TEAM NOTES

• Drake is on a six-game winning streak.
• The Bulldogs are 3-1 on a neutral site.
• Nevada entered the game with a NET of 30.
• At 9-1, Drake is off to its best start through 10 games since the 2020-21season.
• 53 points are the fewest points allowed by Drake's defense this season.
• The Bulldogs allowed their fewest points (19) in a half this season while 19 points were the fewest scored in a half this season by Nevada.
• Drake shot 50 percent from the field (15-of-30) in the second half.
• The Bulldogs made at least 10 three-pointers in a game for the third time this season and for the first time since Nov. 19 against Oakland.
• Drake collected a season-high 11 steals.
   

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

• Tucker DeVries enjoyed his fifth 20-plus scoring output of the season.
• After scoring 25 points tonight, DeVries moved into 13th all-time on the program scoring list (1,329 career points). 
• DeVries has dished out five assists in back-to-back games.
• Colby Garland distributed at least four assists for the fourth time this year.
• Garland swiped a career-best three steals.
• Atin Wright scored 12 points and poked loose a season-high four steals, one shy of his career-high.
• Darnell Brodie has snagged at least six rebounds in all nine games he has played this season.
• Kevin Overtonn ripped down a career-high seven rebounds.

 
THE SERIES

• Drake leads the all-time series, 5-1.
• Tonight was the first meeting between the two programs since 2012.