Sunday ended with the Drake men’s basketball team exactly where coach Darian DeVries hoped it would be – deadlocked atop the Missouri Valley Conference standings.
“This is what February is all about, where you want to be, in some meaningful games,” DeVries said after a 95-72 rout of Murray State. “This is why college basketball is so fun.”
Kevin Overton and Tucker DeVries scored 23 and 22 points, respectively, as the Bulldogs earned their 19th straight win at the Knapp Center and improved to 22-5 overall, 13-3 in the Valley. That moved them into a first-place tie with No. 23 Indiana State (22-5, 13-3), which held a two-game lead in the standings a week ago.
“We dug ourselves into a little bit of a hole,” Tucker DeVries said. “We knew we didn’t control our own destiny to get back into the regular-season race.”
The Sycamores’ 74-69 loss to Southern Illinois on Saturday gave Drake a chance to make up ground.
The Bulldogs responded by shooting 60.7 percent against Murray State, including 56.7 percent (17 of 30) from 3-point range.
It was the most 3-pointers given up by the Racers this season.
“They cause a lot of issues,” Murray State coach Steve Prohm said. “Their ability to spread you out, their ball movement and the pace that they play with offensively. But they also put so much pressure on the basketball and speed you up.”
Drake began to dominate the Racers (11-16, 8-8) with a 14-0 run late in the first half.
The Bulldogs were already up 36-26 despite Tucker DeVries taking some time to warm up. The 6-foot-7 junior did not score until the 8:46-mark of the opening period and did not make his second basket until 1:39 left in the half.
“I think they did a good job, especially coming off ball screens,” DeVries said of the Murray State defenders. “They did a good job hedging it and sending two guys a lot of the time.
“I was just sticking with it and letting the game come to me.”
DeVries erupted for seven points in the span of 19 seconds, hitting a 3-pointer and layup while being fouled on both attempts. His second free throw pushed the Bulldogs’ lead to 43-26.
“Obviously they feel good when they go in,” DeVries said. “Good momentum plays, especially with the home crowd. You can feel the energy a little bit.”
A 3-pointer and two free throws by Overton helped Drake take a 48-29 advantage into halftime. The freshman guard had 12 points before the break.
“Our energy and our defense allowed the crowd to get into it,” Overton said. “Just playing off each other.”
Atin Wright contributed a trio of 3-pointers in the first half and finished with 12 points. Overton and Wright combined on consecutive 3-pointers in the second half to give the Bulldogs a 68-44 advantage with 12:36 left.
Drake scored 26 points off turnovers. The Bulldogs also scored 26 points in the paint and held a 28-24 edge in rebounding, despite Darnell Brodie’s early foul trouble.
Brodie, who scored in double figures in seven of his past nine games, accounted for the Bulldogs’ first five points but was called for his second foul just over 4 minutes into the game. He played a total of 14 minutes.
Drake and Indiana State both have four conference games remaining. The Bulldogs’ upcoming opponents have a combined 59-49 record overall and 31-33 in the Valley. The Sycamores’ upcoming opponents are 42-66 and 19-45.
“We know the conference schedule is a grind,” Tucker DeVries said. “My first two years we finished second, just a game short. I know our attention to detail for every matchup, taking them one game at a time, is at a very high level right now.”
