CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Overtime was not needed as Drake men's basketball controlled most of the game and sealed an 82-74 rivalry win in the final minute over UNI in the McLeod Center on Wednesday, Feb. 15.

"We knew what this game was going to be," head coach Darian DeVries said. "It was a hard-fought game. We needed a lot of guys to contribute to get the win and we were able to get that production."

Tucker DeVries led all scorers with 19 points while Conor Enright delivered his career-high of 14 points while going a perfect 4-for-4 from behind the arc. Garrett Sturtz added 13 points with five rebounds. Roman Penn maneuvered four fouls to tally 16 points with six rebounds and a game-high nine assists.

"Roman was huge down the stretch and hit a couple of big shots during possessions when we didn't have anything going," Darian DeVries said. "He's been playing at a really high level the past eight games."

The first basket was made with 18:38 on the clock when D.J. Wilkins was left wide open in the corner for a 3-pointer. Four minutes into the game, UNI (12-15, 8-9 in Missouri Valley Conference play) took an 8-5 lead when James Betz drilled a triple from the top of the key. The Bulldogs (22-6, 13-4) connected on back-to-back trifectas from Conor Enright and Tucker DeVries for an 11-10 edge by the 14:15 mark of the first half.

Both teams started to settle in offensively with Wilkins and Okay Djamgouz going back-to-back from beyond the arc for a 26-20 lead with 7:20 remaining in the opening half.
Wilkins was feeling it from deep as he drained another pull-up trey from straight on to move Drake's advantage into double figures (34-23) with 4:24 to play before halftime. A layup by Enright capped off the scoring in the first half as the Bulldogs took a 41-31 lead into the break.

After three minutes elapsed in the second half, Roman Penn found a cutting Darnell Brodie on a beautiful bounce pass for an inside basket and a 47-37 advantage. Not even a couple of minutes later, Enright surpassed his previous career-high of 13 points with a trey launched from the left wing for a 55-41 lead.

Ege Peksari swished triple to force a Drake timeout with 11:23 remaining in the second half as the Panthers clawed back within single digits, 59-52. DeVries quieted the crowd with a long 3-ball following the timeout increasing the margin to 10 points once again.

Ahead 68-62, Penn swiped the ball and the steal resulted in a bucket by Sturtz on the other end with 4:13 to play. The Bulldog lead dwindled to one possession when Tytan Anderson executed a left side drive and converted a layup bringing the tally to 70-67 at the 2:45 mark. Penn answered with a layup followed by a fadeaway jump shot for a 74-67 lead with 1:20 ticking.

Penn activated closer mode to score six of Drake's last 10 points while the other four points came from DeVries at the free throw line in an 82-74 road victory. The Panthers are currently on a six-game losing streak. 

The Bulldogs return to the Knapp Center to welcome Belmont to Des Moines on Sunday, Feb. 19 at 3 p.m.

TEAM NOTES
•Drake, earning its eighth straight victory, improved to 22-6 overall,  while maintaining a first-place in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 13-4 record.
•The eight-game winning streak is the longest at the school since the 2020-21 Drake team opened the season with an 18-0 start.
•This marked Drake's fifth consecutive 20-win season for the first time in program history. 
•The Bulldogs won their sixth straight road game while improving their record on the road to 6-5. The six-game road winning streak is tied for No. 6 nationally in the NCAA.
•Drake made 11 three-point baskets, improving to 9-0 this season when making 10 or more treys.
•This also marked the fourth straight game that Drake made 10-plus three-point baskets, including the third straight road game.
•Drake shot 55.6 percent (30-54) improving to 9-0 when shooting over 50 percent this season.
*It also marked the third straight game the Bulldogs shot 50 percent or better from the floor.
•Drake moved to 12-0 this season when scoring 80 or more points and 53-1 under the DeVries coaching era.
•Drake's bench scored 17 points, improving its record 11-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference games whenever the reserves score 10 or more points.
•Drake, which owned a 41-31 halftime lead, improved to 16-3 this season when leading at half including 89-13 under coach Darian DeVries. 
•Drake outrebounded UNI, 27-23, pushing its record to 18-1 when outrebounding opponents this season, including a 90-14 record during the DeVries coaching era.
•This marked the 16th time Drake has enjoyed a double-figure halftime lead - including the 10th time in MVC games
•Drake is 10-1 this season when scoring 40 or more points in the first half, including a 7-0 mark in MVC games.
•Drake had four players score in double figures, improving its record to 8-1 when that feat occurred.
•Drake moved to 5-3 on games played on Wednesday this season and 27-8 during the DeVries coaching era.
 
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
 •Sophomore swingman Tucker DeVries led a balanced attack with 19 points, including three treys.
•It marked the 14th time DeVries has made three or more treys in a game this season and the 26th time in his career.
•Graduate guard Roman Penn added 16 points, scoring 14 points in the second half.
Penn moved into 10^th all-time in MVC history in career assists (578).
•Freshman redshirt guard Conor Enright scored a career-high 14 points off the bench, while making a career-high four 3-point baskets. It marked the third time this season he has made two or more treys in a game
•Graduate swingman Garrett Sturtz added 13 points with five rebounds. He pushed his school career rebound record total to 896. 
•Graduate guard D.J. Wilkins made three 3-point baskets, marking the 10th time this season he has made three or more treys (46th time in career).
•Penn dished out nine assists - his second-highest total of the season - while collecting six rebounds.
•Wilkins improved his school record career three-point baskets total to 291.
•Senior center Darnell Brodie grabbed a game-high eight rebounds for Drake.
 
THE SERIES
•Drake, winning its second straight game against the Panthers, trails in the all-time series, 51-33 including a 9-29 record in Cedar Falls.
•The previous three meetings with UNI had gone to overtime.