The Drake Bulldogs beat the Murray State Racers 95-72 on Sunday, Feb. 18 to move into a tie for first place in the Missouri Valley Conference.
The Bulldogs took on the Racers at the Knapp Center and looked to extend their home winning streak to 19 games. The Bulldogs’ starting lineup consisted of first-year Kevin Overton, redshirt sophomore Conor Enright, junior Atin Wright, junior Tucker DeVries and graduate student Darnell Brodie.
Drake ended the first half up 48-23, with the offense shooting 59% from the field, 60% from the 3-point line and 87% in free throw shooting. They ended the first half by going on a 14-3 run.
In the second half, the Bulldogs continued their strong offensive performance. They scored 47 points in the second half, totaling 60% from the field, 56% on 3-point shooting and 76% on free throws for the entire game.
The Bulldogs combined for a total of 28 team rebounds, 26 points in the paint, 22 assists, 18 fouls and six steals.
Overton led the Bulldogs’ offense with a career-high 23 points, two rebounds and one assist. DeVries recorded 22 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Wright had 12 points and four assists.
Off the bench, the Bulldogs combined for 21 points. The most notable performances came from redshirt junior Nate Ferguson and junior Eric Northweather, who recorded eight points each.
When asked in the postgame press conference about what jump-started his 22-point performance, DeVries said he let the game come to him, as well as finding a few baskets that propelled his performance.
After the game, head coach Darian DeVries talked about what they can do better in the last four games of the season.
“I think for us it’s just what can we continue to get better at,” Darian said. “Whether it’s on the offensive end, the defensive end, special situations. Tonight, I thought we did some really good things.”
The Bulldogs were originally two games behind first place to start last week, with the Indiana State Sycamores alone in first. After two Sycamores losses, one to Illinois State on Tuesday, Feb. 13 and another to Southern Illinois on Saturday, Feb. 17, the Bulldogs found themselves in a position to tie for first place on Sunday.
The fight for first place will continue Wednesday, Feb. 21, when the Bulldogs take on the Belmont Bruins at home. In their last three games, the Bulldogs will face off against the Northern Iowa Panthers and UIC Flames, then wrap up the season by hosting the Bradley Braves at Drake.
“We tell everybody, though, every game, you start over. You start a new 40 minutes,” Darian said. “Wednesday night will be a new 40 minutes for us, but we’ll continue to find and work for that consistency at both ends of the floor.”
Meanwhile, the Sycamores will face off against the Valparaiso Crusaders at Valparaiso University on Wednesday, Feb. 21. The Bulldogs hope to continue this four-game winning streak and bring their momentum into the final games of the season, seeking a chance to win the division, compete in the MVC Tournament and possibly secure a spot in March Madness.
