DES MOINES, Iowa ? Something had to give in a battle for first place in the Missouri Valley Conference on Wednesday night as Indiana State visited Drake in a battle for a tie for the top spot in the conference. Unfortunately for the Sycamores (8-6, 3-1 MVC), it was the Bulldogs (13-1, 4-0 MVC) who came out on top and secured a 75-50 victory at the Knapp Center in front of a raucous crowd of 7,168.
The Bulldogs jumped out to an early 9-5 lead after a layup by Josh Parker, but the Sycamores quickly rallied with a 5-0 run to take lead at 10-9 after sophomore Harry Marshall converted a three-point play with 12:17 left on the clock. Drake got the lead right back after a three-pointer by Jonathan Cox but ISU once again tied the score at 12-12 on a jumper by junior Jay Tunnell.
Both teams battled for position over the next four minutes of play, with Drake maintaining a single-digit lead. ISU cut the lead into the Drake lead at 22-19 on a jumper by Marshall with 7:05 left in the half. The Bulldogs then widened their lead with an 11-1 run to take a 33-20 lead with just over four minutes left. That lead would grow to as much as 15 points before ISU cut the lead to 10 points at 37-27 with 1:14 left in the half on two free throws from Gabe Moore. However, the Sycamores could not cut into the lead any more and Drake took a 41-27 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Drake maintained the momentum out of the locker room and eventually increased its lead to 17 points at 51-34 with 14:21 left in the game. The Sycamores tried to chip away at the Bulldogs' advantage, and cut the lead to 13 at 53-40 after two free throws by senior Todd McCoy. However, that would be as close as ISU would get, as Drake went on a 19-4 run over the next eight minutes to widen their advantage to as much as 28 points at 72-44 and cruised to a 75-50 victory.
Marshall led the way for the Sycamores with 16 points, while sophomore Marico Stinson added 15 points and five rebounds in the loss for ISU. Cox paced the Drake offense with 18 points and 14 rebounds and was joined in double figures by Leonard Houston with 15 points.
The Sycamores return to action on Saturday at home against the Southern Illinois Salukis. Tip off is set for 7:05 p.m. EST at the Hulman Center.
