Sunday, January 3
Des Moines, Iowa
5:00 PM
Southern Illinois University
7-2,1-2MVC
55
at
73
Drake
12-0,3-0MVC
1
2
F
Southern Ill.
30
25
55
Drake
39
34
73
Undefeated Drake pulls away from SIU in second half
01/03/2021 | 7:34:00 | Men's Basketball
DES MOINES, Iowa - The Drake men's basketball team went on a 14-0 run late in the second half to run past SIU on Sunday night at Knapp Center, 73-55. Drake improved 12-0, the best start in its program history.
"Give a lot of credit to Drake," SIU head coach Bryan Mullins said. "I thought their defensive pressure bothered us tonight. They were able to force turnovers and create offense from them. I thought we had some opportunities to get back in the game. We have to execute better tomorrow, and defensively, we need to be more connected."
SIU (7-2, 1-2 MVC), which was a double-digit underdog, came to fight early, taking a 20-10 lead in the first half. The Salukis went 4-for-4 from the 3-point line during a 20-6 run to hand Drake (12-0, 3-0 MVC) its biggest deficit of the season.
But the Bulldogs responded, winning by double-digits for the 11th time in 12 games. Over a 10-minute stretch in the first half, Drake went on a 20-3 run that turned a nine-point deficit into an eight-point lead. Drake hit a 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the half to take a 39-30 lead into halftime. SIU committed only 12 turnovers in the game, but Drake turned those in 15 points.
"They're one of the best teams in the country at changing ends from defense to offense," Mullins said. "We took some quick shots, and we had turnovers that led to dunks and wide-open 3's. They do a great job with their ball movement. They have guards who can get downhill and also make shots. They're a well-balanced team."
The Salukis hung around -- Drake's lead never got bigger than 12 until the game's final six minutes -- but couldn't chip away, never getting close than six points down the rest of the way. On second-half possessions after SIU had cut the lead to eight or fewer, Drake went 6-for-8 from the field to keep the Salukis at a distance.
Lance Jones scored a game-high 18 points for SIU. Ben Harvey added 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting. But the rest of SIU's team was held to 22 points on 9-of-26 shooting. ShanQuan Hemphill had 17 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals and 3 assists to lead five Drake players in double-figures.
In a fight between two programs on the opposite end of the experience spectrum -- Drake's top-five leading scorers are all juniors and seniors, and SIU's top-five scorers are all freshmen and sophomores -- the Bulldogs experience won out.
"Their whole starting five is fourth- and fifth-year guys," Mullins said. "They have played together. They play team basketball offensively and defensively, and they play with great energy every single game. They're 12-0 for a reason, that's for sure."
UP NEXT: Drake and SIU play again tomorrow night (Monday) at 6 p.m. The game will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network.
"Give a lot of credit to Drake," SIU head coach Bryan Mullins said. "I thought their defensive pressure bothered us tonight. They were able to force turnovers and create offense from them. I thought we had some opportunities to get back in the game. We have to execute better tomorrow, and defensively, we need to be more connected."
SIU (7-2, 1-2 MVC), which was a double-digit underdog, came to fight early, taking a 20-10 lead in the first half. The Salukis went 4-for-4 from the 3-point line during a 20-6 run to hand Drake (12-0, 3-0 MVC) its biggest deficit of the season.
But the Bulldogs responded, winning by double-digits for the 11th time in 12 games. Over a 10-minute stretch in the first half, Drake went on a 20-3 run that turned a nine-point deficit into an eight-point lead. Drake hit a 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the half to take a 39-30 lead into halftime. SIU committed only 12 turnovers in the game, but Drake turned those in 15 points.
"They're one of the best teams in the country at changing ends from defense to offense," Mullins said. "We took some quick shots, and we had turnovers that led to dunks and wide-open 3's. They do a great job with their ball movement. They have guards who can get downhill and also make shots. They're a well-balanced team."
The Salukis hung around -- Drake's lead never got bigger than 12 until the game's final six minutes -- but couldn't chip away, never getting close than six points down the rest of the way. On second-half possessions after SIU had cut the lead to eight or fewer, Drake went 6-for-8 from the field to keep the Salukis at a distance.
Lance Jones scored a game-high 18 points for SIU. Ben Harvey added 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting. But the rest of SIU's team was held to 22 points on 9-of-26 shooting. ShanQuan Hemphill had 17 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals and 3 assists to lead five Drake players in double-figures.
In a fight between two programs on the opposite end of the experience spectrum -- Drake's top-five leading scorers are all juniors and seniors, and SIU's top-five scorers are all freshmen and sophomores -- the Bulldogs experience won out.
"Their whole starting five is fourth- and fifth-year guys," Mullins said. "They have played together. They play team basketball offensively and defensively, and they play with great energy every single game. They're 12-0 for a reason, that's for sure."
UP NEXT: Drake and SIU play again tomorrow night (Monday) at 6 p.m. The game will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network.
Team Stats
SIU
DRA
FG%
.408
.509
3FG%
.429
.450
FT%
.750
.800
RB
26
30
TO
12
7
STL
3
8
Game Leaders
Pts
18
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
7
Pts
15
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
5
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
4
FGM
1
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
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