Story by Luke Nankivell
The Drake’s men’s basketball team recorded its first 100-point game since Dec. 2010 in its 104-49 win over Iowa Wesleyan Tuesday night.
In the 55-point blowout, four Bulldogs recorded double-digit points, led by freshman forward Blake Danielak’s 18. Danielak shot 70 percent from the field, and was 4-of-7 from three-point range.
Freshman center Jacob Enevold Jensen followed with 17 points, shooting 7-of-8 from the field and 3-of-3 from the free-throw line.
“I’m not concerned with how many points I get,” Enevold Jensen said. “I’m just trying to do what Coach asks me to do. The points are just a part of it.”
To go with Danielak and Enevold Jensen, the Bulldog bench recorded 62 points.
“It will be different going forward,” said head coach Ray Giacoletti. “It was good for those guys to get some experience. A few of them really needed it.”
The one-two punch combination of Enevold Jensen and redshirt senior center Seth VanDeest has proved beneficial for the Bulldogs’ inside game. The two big men combined for 25 points and nine rebounds.
“Seth has done a good job guiding me through everything,” Enevold Jensen said. “I’ve been able to pick up the little things he does at practice and learn from those.”
The rotation had VanDeest play just 10 minutes, and Enevold Jensen was on the court for 17 minutes. Sophomore forward Daddy Ugbede filled in for the two centers, playing 12 minutes.
“I hope to give Daddy more minutes,” Giacoletti said. “He brings great energy, and he gives a consistent effort.”
Drake was off to a hot start as soon as the game started.
The Tigers turned the ball over on their first four possessions, and Drake capitalized to take a 10-3 lead four minutes into the game.
“We wanted to get the ball inside early,” VanDeest said. “We wanted to set the tone that way.”
Iowa Wesleyan’s smallest deficit, other than at the opening tipoff, was nine points with 13:33 left in the first half. From there, Drake cruised to a 30-point lead at the half, and a 55-point win.
The Bulldogs took great care of the basketball Tuesday night, committing just five turnovers in the whole game.
Their first turnover came with 38 seconds left in the first half.
Redshirt junior Karl Madison spread the wealth around with his nine assists in the game, going along with his seven points and three rebounds.
The Bulldogs shot the ball extremely well, too. In the first half, Drake hit 19-of-32 shots, 59 percent, and 69 percent in the second half.
With two wins under their belt, the Bulldogs look to a game at St. Mary’s this weekend, an opponent Giacoletti is used to.
Having played against the Gaels during his time at Gonzaga, Giacoletti has an understanding of their dynamics, and he hopes that information can give the Bulldogs an edge.
“They’ve had an NBA point guard the last eight years,” he said. “They’re now working with their bigs more and more ball screens.”
Taking a 2-0 record to California is a big confidence booster for the team, Giacoletti said.
“I think the guys needed it to believe in themselves a little bit,” Giacoletti said. “That win on the road was huge, and now we’re moving on anad evolving as a team.”
The Bulldogs return to the Knapp Center Nov. 23, when they host the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
