Feb. 22, 2015 Final Stats
Final Stats (PDF) | Season Stats | MVC-Only Stats | Tickets for Bradley Game
DES MOINES, Iowa - What started out like a boxing match with two heavyweights exchanging jabs, quickly turned into a one-sided fight with Drake (9-19, 6-10 MVC) cruising to a 78-43 win over visiting Missouri State (10-18, 4-12) here Sunday in Missouri Valley Conference play.
Senior Gary Ricks, Jr., led four Bulldogs in double figures with 20 points, while Reed Timmer added 17 points for Drake which snapped a two-game losing streak on its senior day celebration.
The Bears were led by Chris Kendrix with 13 points and 6 rebounds, while Camyn Boone secured his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 caroms.
After the teams played even for the first 9 minutes of the first half, Drake reeled off 10 unanswered points to take an 18-8 lead at the 6:15 mark. MSU went more than 8 minutes without scoring, breaking the Bulldogs' momentum temporarily on a layup by Gavin Thurman with 6:02 left in the half.
But the Drake train didn't slow down, adding 9 unanswered points over the next couple of minutes to climb ahead 27-10 before the final media timeout of the half. The Bears would tack on a pair of back-to-back scores by Kendrix and Gavin Thurman to get within 27-14 at the 3-minute mark, but the home club ended the period on an 8-0 run to take a 35-14 lead into the intermission.
The second half showed signs of promise early with Austin Ruder knocking down a 3-pointer for MSU early in the half with Boone and Kendrix getting the Bears back within 43-22 at the first media break. But Drake got it rolling from the perimeter after that, outscoring MSU 10-9 before the under-12 timeout and by a 25-15 margin before the final buzzer.
The Bears were 16-of-57 (.281) from the field and were able to counter with just 3-of-19 (.158) beyond the arc with 8 out of 9 (.889) makes from the line and 33 rebounds.
Drake was 29-of-56 (.518) from the field, 13-of-21 (.619) from long range and 7-of-7 at the line with 35 rebounds and 7 turnovers.
The Bears now return to JQH Arena on Wednesday for the team's home finale against Bradley (8-21, 3-13) at 7:05 p.m. The game is being billed as a "White Out" with all fans encouraged to wear white to support the Bears and the squad's two seniors who will be recognized in pregame ceremonies.
Tickets for the Bradley game are available at MissouriStateBears.com or by calling (417) 836-7678 during regular box office hours at JQH Arena.
#MSUBears
