Luke McDonald and Andry Sola each had 17 points as Drake put on an offensive display to defeat the Redbirds 83-73 at the Drake Knapp Center in Des Moines, Iowa. The Bulldogs shot a season-high 57 percent from the field in the game, which was charged by 64 percent shooting in the second half.
Drake, 7-7 overall (2-2 MVC), had five players reach double figures in scoring in the game. J.J. Sola had 15 points, while Lonnie Randolph and Greg Danielson chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Illinois State, 5-10 overall (1-3 MVC), was led by Gregg Alexander with 17 points, including a 5-for-9 performance from behind the arc. Dirk Williams came off the bench to put up 13 points. Baboucarr Bojang contributed 12 points and led the Birds on the boards with seven rebounds.
With Drake ahead 36-32 at the half, Alexander and Bojang were able to cut the lead to one point early, but a 9-0 run by the Bulldogs with just over 15 minutes remaining kept the Birds at bay for the remainder of the game. Illinois State was unable to cut the lead to less than seven points following the 9-0 Bulldog run.
Illinois State returns home to face Indiana State at Redbird Arena on Saturday, January 12. The game will be televised on ESPN2.
