DES MOINES, Iowa – Everybody played, everybody scored, and the Drake men's basketball team returned to the victory column.
 
A 20-3 first half run broke it open and the Bulldogs reached season highs in eight different categories in rolling past Division III Simpson 89-51 at the Knapp Center on Monday night, the latest installment in a series that dates back to 1907.
 
Drake coach Eric Henderson is using a nine-player rotation and for the third time in as many games, all nine scored, led by Braden Appelhans with a season-high 15 points. Three others followed in double figures – Jaehshon Thomas with 14, Okku Federiko with 12 and Wilguens Jr. Exacte with 10.
 
Junior Andrew Alia added a career-high nine points for the Bulldogs (2-1) and Isaiah Carr also scored nine. Jalen Quinn contributed eight points to go with six rebounds and five assists. Exacte pulled down eight rebounds to lead Drake's 48-34 edge on the boards.
 
The 89 points were a season high for Drake, which bounced back from last week's overtime loss to Robert Morris to record its 50th victory in the last 51 non-conference home games. The Bulldogs also reached season bests in field goals (28), 3-pointers (9), field goal percentage (.467), rebounds (48), assists (15), steals (11) and blocks (6).
 
Exacte muscled his way into the lane for the game's first points, Quinn followed with a layup and the Bulldogs led the rest of the way. The lead was a modest 8-4 when the Bulldogs started to assert themselves and reeled off 20 of the next 23 points.
 
Seven different players scored in that burst, which ended with 12 straight points for a 28-7 lead. Simpson (1-2) went scoreless for almost five minutes and missed eight straight shots. The Storm didn't reach double figures until Bo Huston hit a 3-pointer with 6:12 left in the opening half, making it 31-12.
 
Alia's trey gave the Bulldogs their biggest lead of the half, 51-19, and they led 53-22 at the break, shooting 55-percent for the half and holding Simpson to 9-for-35 from the field.
 
Drake cooled off in the second half but still added to the lead, thanks in large measure to a 15-0 run that included consecutive dunks by Carr and a three ball from Appelhans on a nice feed from Thomas, who finished with four assists, three steals and six rebounds.
 
The big run put the Bulldogs up 69-38, their largest lead of the game, and they topped things off with a flourish, Thomas knocking down a three and Alia stealing the ball and slamming it home for the game's final points.
 
Unable to get much inside against the taller Bulldogs, Simpson hit 10 3-pointers in the game, with six of the Storm's final seven baskets coming from behind the arc. Levi Gurwell and Colton Rasmussen led Simpson with eight points each. The Storm shot just 29-percent overall and got to the free throw line only six times. Drake finished with an overwhelming 24-3 edge in free throws.
 
The Bulldogs will complete a three-game homestand on Friday night when SIUE visits the Knapp Center. Tipoff time is 6:30 p.m.
 
 
Team Notes
•Drake has won 50 of its last 51 non-conference home games.
•Drake improved its home record to 100-12 in the Knapp Center dating back to the 2018-19 season.
•The Bulldogs are 2-1 overall, including 1-1 at home.
•Drake led the entire game.
•Drake posted season highs in eight categories: scoring (89), baskets (28), three-point baskets (9), field goal percentage (.467), rebounds (48), assists (15), steals (11) and blocked shots (6)
•Drake enjoyed its first double-digit run of the season, reeling off 15 straight points to turn a 54-28 lead into a 69-28 cushion. Six players scored in that 15-0 run.
•The Bulldogs held Simpson to just one basket during an 8 minute 55 second stretch in the first half (16:01 to 7:06) while going on a 20-3 run to turn a 12-4 lead into a 28-7 advantage. Seven different players scored in that outburst.
•The Bulldogs hit 32.1-percent from three-point range, making nine of 28 shots.
•Drake scored 22 points off 16 Simpson turnovers while collecting 11 steals.
•Drake's bench outscored Simpson's reserves, 36-30.
•Eric Henderson's collegiate career coaching record improved to 131-71 in seven years.
•For the third straight game, nine players scored points for Drake.
•Four players scored in double figures for Drake.
 
Individual Notes
•Junior transfer guard Braden Appelhans paced a balanced attack with 15 points, making three three-point baskets. He scored eight straight points, including two three-point baskets, in a 64-second stretch expanding the Bulldogs' lead to 41-14 with 3:45 left in the first half.
•Senior transfer guard Jaehshon Thomas netted 14 points, including 10 in the second half.
•Sophomore transfer forward Okku Federiko collected 12 points, while making eight of nine free throw attempts.
•Junior transfer forward Wilguens Jr. Exacte chipped in with 10 points and a game-high eight rebounds.
•Senior transfer forward Isaiah Carr added a season-high nine points among a season high three blocked shots.
•Junior guard Andrew Alia added a career-high nine points, bettering his previous best of eight in last year's season opener against York.
•Junior redshirt guard Eli Sheltar, one of two holdovers from the 2024-25 Drake team, came off the bench with eight points - his most at Drake.
 
The Series
•Drake, winning its seventh straight game against Simpson, improved its record to 29-13 against Storm in the all-time series.
•This was the first meeting between the schools since Drake earned a 98-53 home victory in 2019.