Drake Men's Basketball Weekly Update – Jan. 27

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Upcoming Events This Week

Competition

Wednesday, January 30 – at Southern Illinois (SIU Arena) – 7:05 p.m.

Television: None

Radio: 1350 AM – KRNT

Saturday, February 2  – vs. Indiana State (Knapp Center)  – 6:35 p.m.

Television: Fox Sports Midwest

Radio: 1350 AM – KRNT

Promotions: MVC Rally Towel Giveaway/High School Night

Teleconferences

Monday, January 28 – MVC Teleconference – 11 a.m. CST

The Missouri Valley Conference men’s basketball coaches teleconference starts at approximately 11 a.m. CST with Drake head coach Mark Phelps scheduled to join the call at 11:06 a.m. CST. For dial-in information to the teleconference, please contact the MVC office.

Coaches Shows/Luncheons

Monday, January 28 – Drake Basketball Coaches’ Show – Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery (West Des Moines) – 7 p.m. CST

The Drake Basketball Coaches’ show returns to the air on KRNT 1350-AM and originating live from Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery (4508 University Avenue, West Des Moines) at 7 p.m. Women’s head coach Jennie Baranczyk leads off the program. Men’s head coach Mark Phelps joins the discussion at approximately 7:30 p.m.

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Media Availability

Note that all times and dates are subject to change.

See attached document as well. Please notify Ty Patton and submit player requests at least 24 hours in advance if you plan on attending one of this opportunities.

PLEASE NOTE THAT PRACTICE AND MEDIA SCHEDULES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. PLEASE CONTACT TY PATTON IN THE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE FOR THE MOST UP-TO-DATE SCHEDULE

Monday, January 28 – MVC Teleconference – 11 a.m. CST

The Missouri Valley Conference men’s basketball coaches teleconference starts at approximately 11 a.m. CST with Drake head coach Mark Phelps scheduled to join the call at 11:06 a.m. CST. For dial-in information to the teleconference, please contact the MVC office.

Tuesday, Jan. 29  – Knapp Center

Mark Phelps – 3 p.m.

Players – 3:15 p.m.

Practice – 3:30  p.m.

Friday, Feb. 1  – Knapp Center

Mark Phelps – 3 p.m.

Players – 3:15 p.m.

Practice – 3:30  p.m.

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This Week’s Opponents

Southern Illinois

Drake and Southern Illinois meet for the first time this season with the Salukis coming into the game with an 8-12 overall record and a 1-8 mark in MVC play after falling to Creighton, 81-51, on Sunday. SIU has lost four straight games and is averaging 65.2 points per game while shooting 45.3 percent from the field but just 31.5 percent from the three-point arc. Desmar Jackson is the team’s top scorer at 16.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. Jeff Early, who returns from a one-game suspension and is the team’s top rebounder at 7.5 rebounds per game.

The Series vs. Southern Illinois

SIU leads the all-time series by a 51-28 margin despite the Bulldogs winning the last seven meetings. SIU leads the Bulldogs, 30-8, in Carbondale. SIU’s last win in the series came on Feb. 24, 2009 by a 56-55 margin in Des Moines. The Saluki’s last win in Carbondale was on Feb. 13, 2008.

Indiana State

The Sycamores are 13-7 this season and 6-3 in the MVC with three wins in their last four outings including a last-second 59-58 win over UNI on Saturday. ISU averages 67.4 points per game on 43.7 percent shooting with 34.7 rebounds per outing. The tandem of Jake Odum and Manny Arop lead the Sycamores with 14.1 and 13.0 points per game, respectively. Odum also adds 4.6 assists per game and has gotten to the free-throw line a team-high 154 times.

The Series vs. Indiana State

Indiana State holds a slim 40-35 advantage in the series and has won seven of the last 10 meetings. The Sycamores are 26-10 all-time against the Bulldogs in the Hulman Center and have won four straight at home. Drake’s last win in Terre Haute, an 83-77 win, came on Feb. 2, 2008

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Last Week

Jan. 23  – vs. Creighton – W, 74-69

The Drake University men’s basketball team outlasted a furious second half rally by No. 17/12 Creighton to stun the Bluejays, 74-69, in a thrilling finish. Four Bulldogs scored in double figures, led by Richard Carter who had 18 points coming off the bench. Ben Simons  and Jeremy Jeffers scored 13 points each and Daddy Ugbede had a career performance with 12 points. Although Drake went into halftime with a 16-point lead, Creighton rallied coming out of the break. The Bluejays erased that deficit with 7:10 remaining in the game after an 8-0 run allowed them to overcome Drake, 62-61. The Bulldogs stopped that run, and held a slight lead, 71-66, to force a Bluejay timeout with 0:47 remaining on the clock. Coming out of the timeout, Gibbs converted a three-point play and Creighton forced a Drake turnover on the ensuing possession, giving Creighton the ball with 25.3 seconds left in the game, trailing 71-69. Gibbs got the call following Creighton’s timeout, but could not convert a driving layup, with Carter coming down with the ball with 9.2 seconds left. Carter was fouled hard, but made one of his two free throws to give Drake a 72-69 lead. The Bluejays could not hit the equalizing three on their next possession and were forced to foul Simons, who iced the game with a pair of free throws to earn Drake’s first win over a ranked opponent since a 71-64 win over No. 8 Butler on Feb. 23, 2008. 

Jan. 27  – at Missouri State – L, 78-76

The Drake University men’s basketball team could not answer 26 points from Missouri State’s Anthony Downing and a 71 percent second-half shooting performance as the Bears clipped the Bulldogs, 78-72, Sunday afternoon at JQH Arena. Ben Simons led Drake with 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Micah Mason chipped in 17 points with four assists while Jordan Clarke nearly notched a double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds. Drake appeared poised to break open the contest in the second half with an 11-0 run over the first three minutes of the period to take a 39-29 lead as the defense forced stops. With 7:39 left in the game, Missouri State claimed its first lead of the second half on a Keith Pickens steal and dunk. Just two minutes later, the Bears had extended their lead to six points.  Facing a 5-point, 70-65, deficit with a 1:36 left to play after a Simons jumper, the Bulldogs allowed Nathan Scheer to get loose on the wing for a three-pointer to give the Bears an 8-point cushion with one minute remaining. Drake would get no closer than the final six-point  margin as the Bears converted at the free-throw line.

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Team Notes

- In the win over Creighton, the Bluejays held to a season-low 23.8 percent with just five makes despite coming into the game shooting 45.2 percent.

- Drake’s 16-point halftime lead against Creighton was its largest lead in an MVC game this season at any point.

- Drake’s bench scored a season-high 43 points in the win over Creighton.

- Drake’s bench has outscored its last four opponents by a combined 119-84 margin.

- Drake averaged 1.06 points per possession on the week.

- The Bulldogs held a +2 rebound advantage on the week with Jordan Clarke hauling in 18 rebounds on the week, including eight on offense.

- Drake has scored 70 or more points in 15 of its 20 games. The Bulldogs are 9-6 when scoring 70 or more points but 1-10 when its opponent hits the 70-point mark.

- The Bulldogs are averaging 71.2 possessions per game, the 2nd fastest pace in the MVC. In conference games, the squad is playing at a 71 possession pace, the fastest in league games.

- However, Missouri State held the Bulldogs to 66 possessions, its third fewest of the season.

- Drake is shooting 38.7 percent from the three-point arc, the second highest percentage in the MVC and the 29^th best nationally.

- Ben Simons averaged 16 points on the week on 54.5 percent shooting and 35.4 percent from the arc.

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MVC Player of the Week Nominee

Ben Simons

F – 6-8 – 209

Sr. – Cadillac, Mich.

Scored a team-high 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting at Missouri State and was 5-of-6 inside the arc with two assists … scored 13 points in the win over Creighton with a critical steal and two free throws in the final seconds to seal the upset win … averaged 16 points and 3.5 rebounds on the week while shooting .545 percent from the field and .354 from the three-point arc.

MVC Newcomer of the Week Nominee

Richard Carter

G – 5-11 – 177  

Jr. – Detroit, Mich.

Scored a career-high 20 points in the upset win over Creighton on 7-of-9 shooting from the field and a 2-of-2 night from the three-point arc … also added a career-high seven assists with two assists and a steal … shot 47.1 percent from the field and 50 percent from the arc on the week.

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Player Notes

0 – Kori Babineux – Did not play in either game on the week.

1 – Jordan Clarke – Averaged 7.5 points and 9.0 rebounds on the week … nearly had a double-double at Missouri State with nine points, 11 rebounds and a career-high four assists … of his 18 rebounds in two games, eight were on offense.

2 – Gary Ricks, Jr.  – Played 16 total minutes on the week.

3 – Richard Carter – Scored a career-high 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting in the win over Creighton … added three points on a three-pointer at Missouri State.

4 – Chris Hines – Scored nine points in two games on 4-of-15 shooting.

10 – Jeremy Jeffers – Was 3-of-3 from the arc for 11 points in the win over Creighton … made his first two three-point attempts at MSU and finished with six points.

11 – Karl Madison  - DNP – Injury (Knee)

21 – Robert Puleikis – DNP – Coach’s Decision

22 – Micah Mason –  Scored 17 points at MSU on 5-of-9 three-point shooting with four assists … had eight assists and no turnovers on the week.

23 – Mitch McLaughlin – DNP – Coach’s Decision

24 – Joey King – Had two points in 11 minutes on the week.

25 – Matt Bowie – DNP – Coach’s Decision

34 – Ben Simons – Scored a team-high 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting in the loss at MSU … had 13 points and a critical steal and two free throws in the win over Creighton.

40  - Daddy Ugbede – Had a career-high 12 ponts and five rebounds, four offensive, in the win over Creighton.

45 – Seth VanDeest – Scored 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting with eight rebounds at Missouri State.

[This story was written for Ron Maly by Ty Patton, Drake's assistant athletic director for communications].

Drake Plays At Missouri State Today, 2 p.m.

Drake Men's Basketball at Missouri State Game

Game 20 • at Missouri State • #DUvsMSU

Jan. 27, 2013 •  2 p.m.

Springfield, Mo. • JQH Arena

Television                                                                 ESPN3

Play-by-play                                               Tom Ackerman

Analyst                                                                Nick Bahe

Radio                                                          KRNT 1350-AM

Play-by-play                                                     Larry Cotlar

Analyst                                                          Dolph Pulliam

Streaming Video                                   www.ESPN3.com

           Drake                     Team              Missouri State

Des Moines, Iowa        Location          Springfield, Mo.

        Bulldogs               Nickname                  Bears

            9-10              2012-13 Record              5-15

             3-5            Conference Record            3-5

           NA/NA                  Ranking                   NA/NA

     Mark Phelps          Head Coach             Paul Lusk

        71-79/5th        Record at School        21-31/2nd

        71-79/5th           Career Record           23-54/3rd

             72.5                Points/Game                 59.3

             73.8            Opp. Points/Game            63.5

             -1.3              Scoring Margin               -4.2

             .444                       FG%                        .399

             .455                  Opp. FG%                   .442

             .387                      3FG%                       .302

             .355                 Opp. 3FG%                  .298

             .694                       FT%                        .642

             31.5             Rebounds/Game              30.7

             35.0        Opp. Rebounds/Game         34.8

             -3.5           Rebounding Margin           -4.1

             13.9                Assists/Game                10.5

             13.8             Turnovers/Game              10.9

             -0.1             Turnover Margin              +2.4

              5.7                  Steals/Game                  4.9

                2.2           Blocks/Game         1.2

• The Drake University men’s basketball team takes to the road for its second meeting of the season against Missouri State on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m.

• The Bulldogs travel to Springfield fresh off of a 74-69 upset over No. 17/12 Creighton on Wednesday evening.

• The win was the Bulldogs’ third in its last four games to improve to 9-10 overall and 3-5 in the MVC.

• It was also the team’s first win over a ranked opponent since defeating No. 8 Butler during the 2007-08 season.

• Missouri State is 5-15 on the season and 3-5 in the MVC after falling to Wichita State, 62-52, on Wednesday.

• The Bears won the first meeting between the two teams this season by a 77-65 margin in Des Moines.

• In its last outing, Drake’s defense held Creighton 10 points below its season average and limited the nation’s top three-point shooting team to just five makes on 23.8 percent shooting.

• Richard Carter led Drake in that win with a career-high 20 points. The junior point guard is averaging 16.3 points per game and has shot 6-of-9 from the arc in the last three games.

• The Bulldogs are averaging 71.5 possessions per game, the fastest pace in the MVC. In conference games, the squad is playing at a 71.8 possession pace, easily the fastest in league games.

• Drake’s bench has outscored its opponents’ reserves in each of the last four games by a 108-57 margin. Against Creighton, the bench stepped up with 43 points as Jeremy Jeffers and Daddy Ugbede chipped in 11 and 12 points, respectively.

A victory would ...

• Make Drake 10-10 on the season and 4-5 in the Missouri Valley Conference.

• Be Drake’s fourth in its last five games.

• Snap the Bulldogs’ six-game skid against Missouri State and be the team’s first win over the Bears since Jan. 12, 2010.

• Be the team’s first in Springfield since Feb. 21, 2001.

• Be head coach Mark Phelps’ 72nd at Drake, the sixth most in Drake history.

• Be the Bulldogs’ second MVC road victory of the season.

• Make Drake 11-36 all-time against the Bears.

• Be the 1,159th in program history.

A Loss would ...

• Drop Drake to 9-11 on the season and 3-6 in the MVC.

• Be Drake’s fourth MVC road loss of the season.

• Make Drake 10-37 against MSU.

• Be Missouri State’s seventh straight victory over Drake.

[This story was written for Ron Maly by Ty Patton, Drake's sports assistant athletic director for communications]

Hurdlers, Sprinters Pace Drake Women

The Drake University women’s track and field team had another stellar showing from its hurdlers and sprinters as the Bulldogs recorded 18 top-10 finishes at the Jack Jennett Invite at Northern Iowa on Saturday.

A week after having four hurdlers advance to the finals of the event, the Bulldogs had five advance to the 60-meter hurdles final at the UNI-Dome. Marissa Smith (Ajax, Ontario) won the event in 8.74, followed closely by Sarah Yeager (Ottumwa) in second in 8.75. Destani Welch  (Des Moines) was fifth (9.03) followed by Briana Isom-Brummer (St. Louis, Mo.) and Brooke Foreman (Cedar Rapids) in seventh (9.09) and 10^th (9.44), respectively.

The 60 meters was equally successful with a quartet of Bulldogs in the finals led by Ariel Kinlow (Brown Deer, Wis.) in second place with a time of 7.85. She also finished seventh in the high jump. Kinlow was trailed in the 60 meters by Danyelle Cole (Kansas City, Kan.) in fourth place (7.89) and Tiara Winston  (Denton, Texas) in fifth at 7.90. Whitney Westrum (Waukee) came in eight in the event but capped her afternoon by finishing first in the 200 meters with a time of 25.56.

The Bulldogs’ sprinters also combined into three 4x400-meter relays teams with the ‘A’ squad winning the event in 3:53.14.

The distance runners added solid performances with Cammy Dole (Anamosa, Iowa) and Lauren Gann (Wheaton, Ill.) finishing seventh and ninth, respectively in the 800 meters while Cassie Aerts (David City, Neb.) was eighth in the mile.

The team continues its indoor season next weekend at the Husker Invitational in Lincoln, Neb., Feb. 1-2.

Jack Jennett Invite

Drake Women’s Results

60 Meters – Finals

2. Ariel Kinlow, 7.85

4. Danyelle Cole, 7.89

5. Tiara Winson, 7.90

8. Whitney Westrum, 8.05

60 Meters – Prelims

2. Danyelle Cole, 7.89

4. Ariel Kinlow, 7.92

5. Tiara Winston, 7.95

9. Whitney Westrum, 8.12

18. Kelly Hendricks, 8.46

200 Meters

1. Whitney Westrum, 25.56

10. Danyelle Cole, 26.26

13. Ariel Kinlow, 26.52

14. Tiara Winston, 26.55

18. Virginia Hill, 27.00

37. Kelly Hendricks, 29.42

800 Meters

7. Cammy Dole, 2:23.43

9. Laura Gann, 2:25.09

13. Melissa Parks, 2:28.40

16. Erin Dobey, 2:32.08

18. Celeste Arteaga, 2:34.90

20. Celia Venezia, 2:40.12

Mile

8. Cassie Aerts, 5:22.15

11. Amanda Marwitz, 5:30.12

12. Erin Poss, 5:32.43

14. Emma Johnson, 5:42.13

18. Stephanie Parks, 5:45.99

1,000 Meters

12. Erin Dobey, 3:26.51

14. Melissa Parks, 3:28.19

15. Celeste Arteaga, 3:29.94

16. Laura Gann, 3:31.28

17. Cammy Dole, 3:35.50

18. Celia Venezia, 3:48.81

3,000 Meters

19. Krista McGuire, 11:49.59

60-Meter Hurdles – Finals

1. Marissa Smith, 8.74

2. Sarah Yeager, 8.75

5. Destani Welch, 9.03

7. Briana Isom-Brummer, 9.09

10. Brooke Formen, 9.44

60-Meter Hurdles – Prelims

1. Marissa Smith, 8.83

2. Sarah Yeager, 8.84

5. Briana Isom-Brummer, 9.14

6. Destani Welch, 9.18

8. Brooke Foreman, 9.31

4x400-Meter Relay

1. Drake ‘A’, 3:53.14

9. Drake ‘B’, 4:12.66

11. Drake ‘C’, 4:22.41

Long Jump

7. Ariel Kinlow, 16-5.25

High Jump

2. Jaclyn Aremka, 5-3

3. Briana Isom-Brummer, 5-3

[This story was written for Ron Maly by Ty Patton, Drake's assistant athletic director for communications]

Wichita State Keeps Drake Women Winless In Valley

Hot shooting and strong defense helped Wichita State defeat the Drake women’s basketball team, 70-51, Monday night in Wichita, Kan.

Ashley Bartow (Verona, Wis.) scored a career-high 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting to lead Drake (5-12, 0-6 Missouri Valley Conference). Stephanie Running (Oak Creek, Wis.) added eight points and four rebounds off the bench.

Wichita State (11-6, 5-0 Valley), in first place in the league, was led by Kelsey Jacobs and Jessica Diamond, who each had 14 points. The Shockers connected on 32-of-55 (58 percent) from the field and forced 23 turnovers and scored 24 points off those turnovers.

Wichita State built a 44-29 halftime lead, hitting 21-of-33 (64 percent) from the field, and forced 13 Drake turnovers and scored 15 points off those turnovers. Bartow set her career-high with nine first half points for the Bulldogs and Running had six points off the bench.

Drake trailed, 59-45, after Kyndal Clark (Webb City, Mo.) knocked down two free throws with 5:57 remaining in the game. Clark finished with 12 points. It would be as close as the Bulldogs would be as the Shockers won their fifth straight game.

The Bulldogs outrebounded the Shockers, 32-31. Junior forward Morgan Reid (Kansas City, Mo.) scored nine points and grabbed a game-high seven rebounds.

The Bulldogs return home for games against Bradley on Friday at 7:05 p.m. and against Northern Iowa on Sunday at 2:05 p.m. The women’s basketball alumni game will be played after the game against UNI.

[This story was written for Ron Maly by John Meyer of Drake's sports information staff].

Drake Basketball Weekly Update

Upcoming Events This Week

Competition

Wednesday, January 23 – vs. Creighton (Knapp Center) – 7:05 p.m.

Television: Fox Sports Net

Radio: 1350 AM – KRNT

Promotions: Rally Towel Giveaway

Sunday, January, 20  – at Missouri State (JQH Arena)  – 2  p.m.

Television: ESPN3

Radio: 1350 AM – KRNT

Teleconferences

Monday, January 21 – MVC Teleconference – 11 a.m. CST

The Missouri Valley Conference men’s basketball coaches teleconference starts at approximately 11 a.m. CST with Drake head coach Mark Phelps scheduled to join the call at 11:06 a.m. CST. For dial-in information to the teleconference, please contact the MVC office.

Coaches Shows/Luncheons

Tuesday, Jan. 22 – Drake Basketball Luncheon – Overtime – 11:30 a.m.

Mark Phelps and his staff will join fans for their regular basketball luncheon at Overtime (4810 86^th Street, Urbandale) at 11:30 a.m. Cost is $12 per person.

Please note that there is no coaches radio show this week due to the women’s basketball vs. Wichita State broadcast on Monday evening.

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This Week’s Opponents

Creighton

Creighton, which was ranked 12^th in last week’s national poll, is 17-2 on the season and 6-1 in MVC action. The Bluejays suffered their first conference loss of the season on Saturday with a 67-64 loss at Wichita State. The team is one of the most potent offensive squads in the nation by averaging 78.9 points per game while shooting an NCAA best 45.2 percent from three-point range on 9.6 three-pointers per game. Defensively, the Bluejays are no slouch, holding opponents to 62.3 points per game this season with teams managing to shoot just 40 percent from the field. Doug McDermott, one of the frontrunners for national player of the year honors, leads the team in scoring with 24.1 points per game on 56.6 percent shooting. Big man Gregory Echenique averages 10.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.

The Series vs. Creighton

Creighton leads the all-time series by a 93-58 margin and has won four straight over the Bulldogs. Inside the Knapp Center, the series is tied at 10-10.

First Meeting this Season – Jan. 8

A red-hot shooting performance helped No. 13 Creighton cruise past the Drake University men’s basketball team by a 91-61 margin. The Bulldogs were led by Joey King with 17 points off of the bench. All five of the freshman’s made shots were from three-point distance for his third highest point total of the season. Creighton had four players in double figures with Ethan Wragge leading all scorers with 22. points.  The MVC-leading Bluejays shot 64 percent from the field on the night, including 16 three-pointers. The Bulldogs were unable to get many open shots and converted on 35 percent from the field (21-of-59) and 32 percent from three (9-of-28). The squad struggled early, scoring nine points in the first 10 minutes of the contest. The Bluejays came out gunning with three-pointers by Grant Gibbs, Doug McDermott and Jahenns Manigat to give Creighton an 11-2 lead. Before the Bulldogs were able to gather their bearings, the hosts had jumped out to a 21-point lead, 30-9, 10 minutes into the game.

Missouri State

The Bears are 5-14 overall this season but 3-4 in the Missouri Valley Conference heading into their game against Wichita State on Wednesday. After opening up the MVC season 3-1, the squad has dropped its last three contests including a 69-66 defeat at Bradley on a buzzer-beater. Offensively, the Bears average just 59.7 points per game with Anthony Downing leading the team with 14.2 points per game while Marcus Marshall adds 9.9 per game. The Bears are one of the least turnover-prone teams in the nation at just 10.9 turnovers per game.

The Series vs. Missouri State

Missouri State leads the all-time series by a 36-10 margin and is a perfect 4-0 against the Bulldogs at JQH Arena. Overall, MSU has earned six straight wins over Drake with the last DU win coming on Jan. 12, 2010 by an 88-77 margin in Des Moines.

First Meeting this Season – Jan. 5

Freshman Joey King matched a career high with 21 points, but it wasn’t enough for the Drake University men’s basketball team to push past Missouri State as the Bears held on for a 77-65 win at the Knapp Center. King matched his career-best set earlier this season against Xavier in the Direct TV Classic. He also led the team in rebounds with seven. Senior Ben Simons poured in 17 points, 14 in the second half. The Bears shot 44 percent from three point range on the night, hitting eight of their 18 attempts. They began the game making five of their first nine from distance. A Gavin Thurman three-pointer with 2:05 to play extended the Missouri State lead to 64-57 and Anthony Downing hit six consecutive free throws to seal the game for the visitors. Downing led all players with 24 points.

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Last Week

Jan. 16  – Evansville – W, 83-69

Chris Hines’ 21 points and three others in double figures led the Drake University men’s basketball team to an 83-69 win over Evansville at the Knapp Center. Leading by just one point at halftime, 39-38, the Bulldogs came out on fire in the second half, hitting 15-of-23 shots from the floor, including 7-of-9 from behind the arc. Drake was strong on the defensive end as well as the team held Evansville to just 7-of-24 from the field and 1-of-13 from behind the three-point line in the second half. After Colt Ryan knocked down two free throws to give Evansville a 57-56 lead with 11:52 left in the game. Drake answered with a 15-4 run, the last on a jumper by Joey King to give the Bulldogs a 71-59 lead that forced Evansville to take a timeout with 4:53 left in the game to try and stop the bleeding. However, Evansville had no answer for Drake out of the timeout as the Bulldogs would go up by as many as 16 points on the way to their first MVC win.

Jan. 20  – at UNI – L, 85-55

An early first-half deficit coupled with a 16-0 UNI run in the second half proved to be too much for the Drake University men’s basketball team to overcome as the Panthers defeated the Bulldogs, 85-55. Richard Carter scored 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting, but the previously hot-shooting Bulldogs converted on just 35.6 of their attempts in the loss. Deon Mitchell led UNI with 20 points to pace four Panthers in double-figures including Jake Koch with 16 points on near-perfect 7-of-8 shooting. As a team, UNI converted on 60 percent of their shots and were shooting above 70 percent from the field for the majority of the second half. Halfway through the first half, Drake held a two-point lead before a 13-0 run vaulted UNI into a 11-point, 28-17, lead with over a 3:13 span. Coming out of intermission, the Bulldogs couldn’t reverse the momentum as UNI used a 16-0 run four minutes into the second half to extend its lead to 28 at 59-31.

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Team Notes

- The Bulldogs are averaging 71.4 possessions per game, the 2nd fastest pace in the MVC. In conference games, the squad is playing at a 71.5 possession pace, the fastest in league games.

- Drake is shooting 38.8 percent from the three-point arc, the second highest percentage in the MVC and the 19^th best nationally.

- In the last two games, Richard Carter is averaging 14.5 points and 4.0 assists per game on 45 percent shooting from the field and 57.1 percent from three-point range.

- Ben Simons first of two three-pointers at UNI was the 200^th of his career at Drake.

- The Bulldogs’ free-throw shooting has seen marked improvement in conference play at 72.6 to rank in the top half of the league. On the season, the Bulldogs are second in the league at getting to the line with 382 attempts.

- Despite scoring just three points at UNI, Chris Hines is averaging 15.7 points per game in his last three games.

- After committing 37 turnovers in its first two MVC games, the Bulldogs have taken care of the ball recently with just 13.5 turnovers per game in its last four MVC games.

- The Bulldogs are 8-5 when scoring 70 or more points this season and just 1-8 when their opponent scores 70 or more.

- Drake’s bench has outscored its opponents’ reserves in each of the last three games by a 65-43 margin.

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MVC Player of the Week Nominee

Richard Carter

G – 5-11 – 177  

Jr. – Detroit, Mich.

Led the team on the week with 14.5 points and 4.0 assists per game on the week off the bench … converted on 45 percent of his attempts from the field and 57.1 percent of his three-point tries … opened the week with 13 points and six assists in 25 minutes against Evansville … scored 16 points, including 12 in the first half, at UNI with a pair of assists and was 6-of-12 from the field in the loss.

MVC Newcomer of the Week Nominee

Richard Carter

G – 5-11 – 177  

Jr. – Detroit, Mich.

Led the team on the week with 14.5 points and 4.0 assists per game on the week off the bench … converted on 45 percent of his attempts from the field and 57.1 percent of his three-point tries … opened the week with 13 points and six assists in 25 minutes against Evansville … scored 16 points, including 12 in the first half, at UNI with a pair of assists and was 6-of-12 from the field in the loss.

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Player Notes

0 – Kori Babineux – Played four minutes with two points at UNI.

1 – Jordan Clarke – Averaged 7.0 points and 8.5 rebounds on the week. Had 10 points and eight rebounds at UNI.

2 – Gary Ricks, Jr.  – Scored two points on the week.

3 – Richard Carter – Scored a team-high 16 points at UNI and averaged 14.5 points and 4.0 assists on the week.

4 – Chris Hines – Scored 21 points on 6-of-9 three-point shooting in the win over Evansville.

10 – Jeremy Jeffers – Scored eight points at UNI and averaged five points on the week.

11 – Karl Madison  - DNP – Injury (Knee)

21 – Robert Puleikis – DNP – Coach’s Decision

22 – Micah Mason –  Scored five points on the week but was an uncharacteristic 1-of-7 from the arc.

23 – Mitch McLaughlin – DNP – Coach’s Decision

24 – Joey King – Had seven points on the week but was scoreless in the loss at UNI.

25 – Matt Bowie – DNP – Coach’s Decision

34 – Ben Simons – Hit his 200^th career three-pointer at UNI and averaged 12 points and 2.5 assists on the week.

40  - Daddy Ugbede – Scored four points in two games and was 2-of-3 from the field.

45 – Seth VanDeest – Averaged 8.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.

[This story was written for Ron Maly by Ty Patton, Drake's assistant athletic director for communications].

Drake's Women Play At Wichita State

The Drake women’s basketball team plays at Wichita State in search of its first Missouri Valley Conference victory Monday night. You can listen to the action on KRNT-1350 with Ric Silvestrini and former Drake standout Kristin Turk and follow live stats at www.GoDrakeBulldogs.com.

DRAKE QUICKLY

-The Drake Bulldogs (5-11, 0-5 MVC) lost at Missouri State, 80-77, in a wild finish Saturday afternoon at JQH Arena.

-Sophomore Kyndal Clark (Webb City, Mo.) poured in a career-high 26 points and grabbed seven rebounds to go along with three steals and three assists. Clark’s hometown of Webb City, Mo. is just 71 miles from Springfield.

-Junior Mary Pat Specht (Shawnee, Kan.), making her second career start, scored a career-high 18 points behind a career-best five three-pointers.

-The Bulldogs connected on a season-high 11 three-pointers and finished 11-of-20 (55 percent) against Missouri State and tied its highest scoring total of the season (80).

-Missouri State led by as many as 10 points in the second half, but ended up having to rally from a six-point deficit for its first conference win of the season.

-Clark leads the Bulldogs at 14.5 points per game while Morgan Reid (Kansas City, Mo.) averages 10.7 points per game to go along with a team-leading 8.1 rebounds per game. Clark now ranks fifth in the conference in scoring average.

-Clark is averaging 16.0 a game in MVC contests while Specht is averaging 7.7 points per game overall but the junior transfer has bumped that average to 10.8 points per game in conference action.

-The Bulldogs are trying to avoid its first 0-6 start to conference play since the 2006-07 season when they dropped their first seven conference games.

WICHITA STATE QUICKLY

-Wichita State (10-6, 4-0 MVC) cruised past Creighton, 67-45, Saturday night at home and now sits in sole place atop the Missouri Valley Conference standings.

-Sophomore Alex Harden scored a career-high 20 points and added four rebounds and four assists while Jasmine Jones scored a career-high 16 and Michelle Price had 14 points and grabbed eight boards off the bench.

-Senior Jessica Diamond, selected to the MVC preseason first-team, leads the Shockers at 13.8 points per game while Harden averages 8.3 points per game.

-Wichita State has won eight out of its last ten games after starting the season 2-4.

-The Shockers are one of the most experienced teams in the conference with one redshirt junior and six seniors. Two freshmen and two sophomores round out the roster.

-Wichita State holds opponents to just 52.2 points per game, which is narrowly behind the MVC’s scoring defense leader, Indiana State, at 52.0 points per game.

-The Shockers shoot 41.3 percent from the field, which ranks second in the Valley and holds opponents to a conference-low 37.2 percent.

-Wichita State has made only 47-of-164 three-point attempts this season. The Shockers rank second to last in three-point percentage (29 percent) and last in total makes and three-pointers made per game (2.9)

DRAKE VS WICHITA STATE

Monday’s game will be the 69^th, in the all-time series between the Shockers. The Shockers have a slight edge at home with a 16-15 record against the Bulldogs. Drake beat Wichita State, 56-52, last season in the MVC tournament semifinals in St. Charles, Mo, which snapped a five-game losing streak to Wichita State. Before that streak Drake had won 11 straight over the Shockers. The Bulldogs last win in Wichita, Kan. was Feb. 6, 2009 (65-60).

[This story was written for Ron Maly by John Meyer of Drake's sports information staff].

Solid Performances By Bulldogs

Drake's track and field team wrapped up the final day of competition at the Iowa State Open with solid performances both on the track and in the field events.

Cross country standout Brogan Austin (Boone) had a strong showing in the seeded section of the 3,000 meters with a third-place finish in a time of 8:28.70.

“Brogan Austin looked impressive in his 3,000-meter race,” Drake coach Kaiser-Brown said. “It was another great race for him as he transitions from cross country to the indoor season.”

His teammate, Rob McCann (Mississauga, Ontario) finished 14^th in the section in 9:13.62. In the unseeded section, Ali Jandal (La Crosse, Wis.) was seventh in 9:01.97.

Brett Wright (Longmont, Colo.) also claimed one of the highlights on the day for the Bulldogs with a fourth-place showing in the 600-yard race and a time of 1:11.79.

“Brett Wright had a great season debut in the 600 yards,” Kaiser-Brown said. “We weren’t sure how he’d do in a race over 400 meters, but he led his heat from start to finish and looked strong and relaxed.”

Freshman Scott Goad led Drake’s jumpers with an eighth-place jump in the seeded section of the high jump by clearing 6-4. Sean Buczek finished fifth in the unseeded section with a clearance of 6-2. He also finished 14^th in the triple jump.

“Scott Goad is making great strides in the high jump,” Kaiser-Brown said. “Today was a little rough, but all of our jumpers definitely have the height, they just need to finish their jumps.”

The first day of competition at the Iowa State open on Friday was highlighted by Isaac Twombly (Baldwin, Kan.) shattering his own school record in the weight throw with a toss of 65-0.75, the fifth best throw in the nation this season.

The Bulldogs continue their indoor season next weekend at the Jack Jennett Invitational in the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls. Friday’s schedule is comprised entirely of the multi-events with the bulk of the competition being staged on Saturday.

[This story was written for Ron Maly by Ty Patton, Drake's assistant athletic director for communications].

A First for Women Hurdlers At Drake

Drake's women’s track and field team had four hurdlers advance to the finals of the 60-meter hurdles with Sarah Yeager (Ottumwa) winning the event on the final day of the Iowa State Open.

“I don’t think we’ve had four hurdlers in the finals during my tenure at Drake,” coach Natasha Kaiser-Brown said. “Coach [LaRon] Bennett has done a great job with them.”

Yeager won the event with a personal best time of 8.81 and won her qualifying heat with a personal best time of 8.78. Marissa Smith (Ajax, Ontario) finished second in the finals in 8.82, a personal best for the senior. Brianna Isom-Brummer (St. Louis, Mo.) was fifth in 9.02 and Destani Welch (Des Moines, Iowa) came in sixth in 9.26.

Isom-Burmmer also finished third in the seeded section of the high jump.

The Bulldogs also had a strong showing in the seeded flight of the 3,000 meters with five runners in the top 20 of the event including three freshmen.

Freshman Taylor School (Prior Lake, Minn.) led the pack of Bulldogs in sixth place with a time of 10:28.74. Emma Huston (Des Moines) and Cassie Aerts  (David City, Neb.) came in 14^th and 16^th, respectively.

“Taylor and Emma both had solid 3,000 meter races,” Kaiser-Brown said. “They raced very well in their first meet since the cross country season.”

Also on the track, junior Danyelle Cole (Kansas City, Kan.) finished sixth in a deep 60-meter field with a time of 7.94, just two-hundreths of a second off her personal best.

The Bulldogs continue their indoor season next weekend at Northern Iowa in the Jack Jennett Invitational inside the UNI-Dome. Friday’s slate is comprised of the multi-events with the bulk of the competition following on Saturday.

[This story was written for Ron Maly by Ty Patton, Drake's assistant sports information director for communications].

Drake Women Still Without a Valley Victory

The Drake women’s basketball team fell to Missouri State, 80-77, in a wild finish Saturday. The Bulldogs lost despite Kyndal Clark  scoring a career-high 26 points and the team conncting on a season-high 11 three-pointers.

Mary Pat Specht, making her second career start, scored a career-high 18 points behind a career-best five three-pointers. Stephanie Running had 12 points off the bench for Drake (5-11, 0-5 Missouri Valley Conference).

Missouri State (9-7, 1-3) led by as many as 10 points in the second half, but ended up having to rally from a six-point deficit for its first conference victory.  Whitney Edie led the Lady Bears with a 25-points and 10 rebounds.

“Anytime you go on someone else’s floor its tough and this place especially,” Drake coach Jennie Baranczyk said. “The last time Missouri State lost here was the first game of the year to Oklahoma State, which is a top-25 program. Credit Missouri State’s players, who stepped up and had some nice performances today.”

Playing just 71 miles from her hometown of Webb City, Mo., Clark made two free throws to put Drake ahead, 77-76, with 30 seconds left. On Missouri State’s next possession, Edie was fouled and the senior missed both free throws, but MSU’s Bry Snow rebounded the miss and her putback put her team ahead, 78-77, with 13 seconds to play.

“Major credit to Mary Pat Specht, who stepped up with some big three-pointers and those three free throws she made when she was fouled on another attempt,” Baranczyk said. “She did a great job on the defensive end as well. Another game changer was Kyndal Clark, who stepped in and played some very valuable minutes. Credit Steph Running, wh- came off the bench today and was nearly perfect. I know she wishes she had that last attempt at the end back but it was a tough look.”

[This story was written for Ron Maly by John Meyer of Drake's sports information staff].

2 Underachieving Teams Play Sunday At Cedar Falls

Drake Men's Basketball at Northern Iowa

Game 18 • at UNI • #DUvsUNI

Jan. 20, 2013 •  2 p.m.

Cedar Falls • McLeod Center

Television                                                                 ESPN3

Play-by-play                                              Scott Warmann,

Analyst                                                    Mac McCausland

Radio                                                          KRNT 1350-AM

Play-by-play                                                     Larry Cotlar

Analyst                                                          Dolph Pulliam

Streaming Video                                   www.ESPN3.com

           Drake                     Team              Northern Iowa

Des Moines, Iowa        Location         Cedar Falls, Iowa

        Bulldogs               Nickname               Panthers

             8-9               2012-13 Record               9-9

             2-4            Conference Record            2-4

           NA/NA                  Ranking                   NA/NA

     Mark Phelps          Head Coach         Ben Jacobsen

        70-78/5th        Record at School        138-80/7th

        70-78/5th           Career Record          138-80/7th

             73.5                Points/Game                 68.3

             73.5            Opp. Points/Game            64.3

              0.0               Scoring Margin               +4.0

             .449                       FG%                        .449

             .447                  Opp. FG%                   .426

             .396                      3FG%                       .363

             .361                 Opp. 3FG%                  .354

             .700                       FT%                        .755

             31.4             Rebounds/Game              32.2

             35.3        Opp. Rebounds/Game         33.3

             -3.9           Rebounding Margin           -1.1

             14.2                Assists/Game                12.5

             13.6             Turnovers/Game              12.7

             +0.4             Turnover Margin              +0.4

              5.8                  Steals/Game                  6.0

                2.1           Blocks/Game         2.4

• The Drake University men’s basketball aims for its third straight victory with a Sunday afternoon game at Northern Iowa.

• Drake improved to 2-4 in the Missouri Valley Conference and 8-9 overall with an 83-69 win over visiting Evansville on Wednesday evening.

• UNI is tied with Drake in the MVC standings at 2-4 as well and 9-9 overall following a 79-68 loss at Creighton on Tuesday.

• Drake’s offense has pushed the tempo in its last two wins, averaging 78.5 possessions per game while averaging 82.5 points in those two wins.

• Additionally, the Bulldogs have shot 49.1 percent from the field and a stout 47.7 percent from three-point range in those wins.

• While the offense has put up points, its the defense that has secured those wins by holding Illinois State and Evansville to 38.2 percent shooting from the field and 30.8 percent from the three-point arc.

• The Bulldogs’ three-point shooting returned to form in the last two games to move Drake to 14th nationally in three-point percentage at 39.6 percent and seventh in three-pointers per game at 8.9 for the season.

• Freshman Joey King has helped lead the Bulldogs in MVC play with 12.5 points per game and 5.2 rebounds. He leads all MVC freshmen in conference scoring and rebounding.

• UNI has four players averaging double figures with Anthony James’ 12.5 points leading the way. Seth Tuttle adds 11.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.

• The teams have met 60 previous times with UNI leading the series, 36-24. However, the series is tied at 3-3 at the McLeod Center.

A victory would ...

• Make Drake 9-9 on the season and 3-4 in the Missouri Valley Conference.

• Be Drake’s third straight, its longest streak of the season.

• Be the Bulldogs’ second MVC road victory and and third overall road win.

• Be head coach Mark Phelps’ 71st win at Drake, the sixth most in Drake history.

• Make the Bulldogs 4-3 in the McLeod Center.

• Make Drake 25-36 all-time against the Panthers.

• Snap UNI’s two-game win streak against Drake.

• Be the team’s fifth in its last nine games.

• Make Mark Phelps 71-78 at Drake.

• Be the 1,158th in program history.

A Loss would ...

• Drop Drake to 8-10 on the season and 2-5 in the MVC.

• Be Drake’s third conference road loss of the season.

• Make Drake 24-37 against the Panthers.

• Be the team’s fourth loss in seven tries at the McLeod Center. 

[This story was written for Ron Maly by Ty Patton, Drake's assistant athletic director for communications].

2 Teams Looking for Their First Valley Victory

The Drake women’s basketball team plays in Springfield, Mo. Saturday in search of its first Missouri Valley Conference victory of 2013. Missouri State is also in search of its first Valley victory.. Tipoff has been moved to 12:05 p.m. from 2:05 p.m. at the JQH Arena. You can listen to the action on KRNT-1350 with Ric Silvestrini and former Drake standout Kristin Turk and follow live stats at www.GoDrakeBulldogs.com.

DRAKE QUICKLY

-The Illinois State Redbirds edged the Drake Bulldogs (5-10, 0-4 MVC), 71-66, this past Sunday at the Knapp Center.

-Kyndal Clark (Webb City, Mo.) poured in a game-high 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds while Morgan Reid (Kansas City, Mo.) recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds, along with a season-high six assists.

-Drake held a 60-52 lead with 8:23 to play, but Illinois State, picked to finish second in the MVC preseason poll, used a 13-0 run to pull away for the win.

-Drake head coach Jennie Baranczyk used a new starting lineup for Sunday’s game for the first time in 2012-13.

-Baranczyk inserted a pair of newcomers, junior transfer Mary Pat Specht (Shawnee, Kan.) and freshman Ashley Bartow (Verona, Wis.), into the lineup with Reid, Clark and Carly Grenfell (York, Neb.)

-Specht had 10 points behind three three-pointers and Bartow scored four points and had six rebounds.

-Clark, who will be playing Saturday just 71 miles from her hometown, leads the Bulldogs at 13.7 points per game while Reid averages 11.0 points per game to go along with a team-leading 8.3 rebounds per game.

-The Bulldogs are trying to avoid its first 0-5 start to conference play since the 2006-07 season when they dropped their first seven conference games.

-The Drake vs. Creighton women’s basketball game on Saturday, Feb. 2 at the Knapp Center will now tipoff at 3 p.m.

MISSOURI STATE QUICKLY

-Missouri State (8-7, 0-3 MVC) fell to Bradley, 80-79, in a wild game in Peoria, Ill. last Saturday that featured 13 lead changes and nine ties. Whitney Edie gave MSU a brief 79-77 lead with 17 seconds left to play, but Katie Yohn made a three-pointer with 1.9 seconds left to propel the Braves to their first MVC win.

-Edie, a senior forward, leads Missouri State at 14.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per game while Christiana Shorter is second at 11.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Kenzie Williams (10.9) and Hannah Wilkerson (10.1) are the other Lady Bears that average double figure points.

-Missouri State averages 70.9 points per game, which ranks second in the Missouri Valley Conference, but allows 73.7 points per game, which ranks second to last in the conference.

-The Lady Bears are coached by Nyla Milleson, who is in her sixth season as head coach and is shooting for her 100^th win at Missouri State. Milleson guided MSU to their ninth MVC championship last season with the Bears winning the regular season title.

-Missouri State was picked to finish fifth in the 2012-13 preseason poll and Shorter was selected to the preseason all-MVC team.

DRAKE VS MISSOURI STATE

Saturday’s contest will be the 71^st, in the all-time series between the Lady Bears and the Bulldogs. The Lady Bears are the only Missouri Valley Conference opponent to have a winning record in an all-time series with the Bulldogs. Missouri State leads the series, 37-33, and has won six-straight against Drake. The Lady Bears are 24-14 against the Bulldogs in Springfield with the Bulldogs last win there on Feb. 8, 2009. MSU swept the series last season winning 78-46 in Springfield and 69-66 in Des Moines.

[This story was written for Ron Maly by John Meyer of Drake's sports information staff].