The No. 9 seed Drake University men’s basketball team broke its nine-game losing streak in the first round of the Missouri Valley Conference Arch Madness tournament March 5 in St. Louis. Drake showed up ready to defend the Bulldog name and beat the No. 8 seed Southern Illinois University Salukis 67-63. 

The Bulldogs came back from a 27-31 score at halftime after outshooting the Salukis. The Bulldogs’ attitude switched at the half, and the team came back and outscored the Salukis 40-32 in the second half. 

Drake kept all players eligible on the court with no players fouling out, even with strong defensive plays by both teams. The team will use this momentum as it moves into the second round of play on Friday. 

Senior guard Jalen Quinn aided the Bulldogs with 22 points for the night, and sophomore guard Eli Shetlar put up 16 points. Senior guard Andrew Alia had 11 rebounds for the game to help the Bulldogs’ defense and scoring, while sophomore guard Owen Larson had four rebounds for the night. 

With this win, the Bulldogs will play the Belmont University Bruins March 6 at noon for the chance to move into the semifinal round on March 7.