NORMAL, Ill. – The Drake men's basketball team concluded its final two-game road swing of the season on Friday night as it took on the Illinois State Redbirds inside CEFCU Arena and suffered a loss, 86-76.
 
A shooting clinic broke out in the early goings between the Bulldogs and the Redbirds on Friday night as both sides were scorching hot from the field. Drake, led by Okku Federiko with eight quick points off two triples and a dunk, hit eight of its first 12 shots. Illinois State, however, was 10-of-13 including 7-of-9 from deep which gave it a 27-19 lead at the under-12 timeout.
 
By the time the first half hit the under-8 media timeout, Illinois State extended its lead out to 14 with the scoreboard reading 35-21. An 11-0 run by the Redbirds fueled the charge ahead before a pair of free throws by Federiko put an end to it.
 
The hot shooting started to slow down for both Drake and Illinois State as the half came to a close, but Drake still found itself trailing by double-digits, 47-32, when the teams went into the locker room. Federiko, who didn't miss a shot in the first 20 minutes, led all scorers at the break with 13 points.
 
It was a good start for the Bulldogs to start the second half with the defense stepping up to force some turnovers out of Illinois State. Those turnovers led to points for Drake and the Redbird lead was cut down to eight, 51-43, following an and-one fadeaway jumper by Jalen Quinn.
 
The single digit deficit was back up to double digits in a hurry, however. Ty'reek Coleman of Illinois State got in a groove with a personal 8-0 run and the Bulldogs were back down by 17 with 11:53 remaining.
 
Drake would get as close as 11 off an Andrew Alia made layup with 3:19 to go until the last shot of the game, a made three-ball from Braden Appelhans.
 
The Bulldogs will have a quick turnaround as they head back to Des Moines to host Valparaiso on Monday, Feb. 9. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. against the Beacons.
 
Team Notes
—Drake, suffering its third straight loss, slipped to 12-13 overall including a 6-8 mark in the Missouri Valley Conference.
—The Bulldogs' road record fell to 4-5.
—Illinois State led wire to wire
—Drake closed out the game making four of its last five shots.
—Drake fell to 4-12 when trailing at halftime.
 
Player Notes
—Senior transfer guard Jalen Quinn and sophomore transfer Okku Federiko led Drake with 17 points apiece. Federico had 13 points in the first half, while Quinn scored 10 in the second half.
—Quinn had a string of seven straight 20-plus scoring games come to an end. He averaged 27.1 points during that stretch: 21 at Southern Illinois, 28 at UIC, 34 vs. Murray State, 27 at Indiana State, 26 vs. Evansville, 32 vs. Bradley; 22 at Belmont.
—Junior Andrew Alia enjoyed his second double-double in the last three games with 15 points and a career tying 11 rebounds. He had 13 points and 11 rebounds in a home game against Bradley last Saturday.
—Alia led Drake with three three-points baskets - his seventh game with three-plus three-pointers.
—Sophomore transfer Owen Larson chipped in with 14 points, including eight in the second half before fouling out. He also led Drake with five assists.
—Eli Shetlar returned after suffering a sprained ankle late in the first half at Belmont Tuesday. He scored a season low two points, making one of two shots.
—Wilguens Jr. Exacte, who had started in 13 games, missed his 11th consecutive game because of a foot injury.
 
The Series
—Drake, suffering its second straight loss to Illinois State, trails in the all-time series, 63-42 including an 11-36 mark in games played in Normal.