DES MOINES, Iowa -- The Sycamores for the second consecutive road game against a Missouri Valley Conference league-leader battled throughout but couldn't get key shots to fall in key moments as Indiana State fell to Drake, 80-68 on Wednesday evening at the Knapp Center.

Indiana State fell to 14-15, 6-11 MVC while league-leading Drake improved to 22-8, 11-6 MVC. Drake maintained their lead in the MVC standings with the win. 

The Sycamores triple threat of Jordan Barnes (21 points), Tyreke Key (18 points) and Cooper Neese (14 points) led the way in scoring. Indiana State was limited to 24-of-68 shooting (35.3 percent). Drake hit 25-of-50 shots from the field, including eight 3-point field goals after hitting four in the opening eight minutes of the game.

Brady Ellingson opened the game for the Bulldogs with a 3-pointer but four in a row by Jordan Barnes pushed the Sycamores ahead. Tyreke Key buried a deep 3-pointer from the top of the key at the 16:34 mark to stake the Sycamores to a 7-6 advantage. Drake would counter with eight in a row before Emondre Rickman scored inside to stem the tide but Ellingson answered with a trifecta and the Bulldog advantage stood at 17-9 with 13:09 on the clock. Trailing by 10, Clayton Hughes found Cooper Neese open under the basket as the clock ticked under the 13 minute mark, but the Bulldogs hit their fourth trifecta of the opening stanza and the Drake lead swelled to 22-11 with 12:28 to go which triggered a Sycamore timeout.

ISU would not go away as they scored 10 of the next 11 points to climb back into the contest as Neese scored six in a row by himself and then Kessinger tacked on a second chance tough battle lay-up with 10:06 on the clock to get within 23-21. A Nick McGlynn breakaway dunk pushed the Bulldog lead back to six points before Barnes and Key each scored inside as the clock ticked under the eight minute mark and ISU had trimmed the one 11-point advantage down to just 27-25.

Neither team would score for over four minutes of game time until Drake stopped the string with a coast-to-coast effort by Christian Williams answered with his own jumper with 3:37 to go to make it 29-27. Drake hit a free throw out of the final media timeout of the half but Tyreke Key converted a conventional 3-point play with 2:58 to go which leveled the score at 30. The Bulldogs would score the final four points of the half after Williams added a second chance bucket with just under a minute before the half to take a 36-32 lead into the half. Cooper Neese led the way with 10 points.

Barnes scored first in the second half to cut the Bulldog lead down to just two points, but five in a row from Drake including a 3-pointer by Tremell Murphy were countered by a Key trifecta at the 17:31 mark which whittled the advantage down to just 41-37. Up six points, Drake lost control of the ball and Barnes made a spectacular cross court hustle play but it resulted in a D.J. Wilkins 3-pointer with 15:15 left which raised their cushion to 48-39. Key stopped the bleeding with a free throw out of the first media timeout of the half to cut the deficit down to 48-40.

Drake would match their largest lead at 11 points but Barnes and Neese would drive the line and Rickman came up with a big block as the clock neared the 13 minute mark to cut the Drake advantage down to 51-44. The Bulldogs led 68-50 with 6:29 to play before the Sycamores went back to work. A 3-pointer from Barnes and then a lay-up by Key trimmed the Bulldog lead down to 13 points. The Sycamores would score eight of the next ten points and Barnes went over 20 points with 3:20 remaining to cut the Bulldog advantage down to 72-63.

Drake was by Brady Ellingson who scored 16 points.

The regular season finale is set for Saturday, March 2 when they Sycamores host Northern Iowa at 2 pm (ET) inside Hulman Center. It is Senior Day as Emondre Rickman, Allante Holston and Devin Thomas will be honored in pregame ceremonies and a full tribute is scheduled for postgame.