DES MOINES, Iowa – Trailing by as many as 19 points in the second half, Drake staged a huge late rally to defeat the University of Evansville men's basketball team by a final score of 82-78 on Wednesday at the Knapp Center.
Box Score
Evansville held a 59-40 lead with 12:57 remaining before the Bulldogs completed the game on a 42-19 run to take the victory. Leading the Purple Aces was Leif Moeller who posted 20 points 7 boards, and 7 assists, all team bests. Bryce Quinet registered 16 points while AJ Casey and Josh Hughes finished with 15 and 11 points, respectively. Jalen Quinn paced the Bulldogs with 26 points.
"We played really good basketball for most of the game, but it is unfortunate with how things turned out. I need to help our guys do better in the moment and overcome stretches by the opponents," UE head coach David Ragland said. "We fought like crazy tonight – I will not question the heart and fight of our group."
Five ties and three lead changes highlighted a competitive first half. The outside shooting for the Aces made the difference in the opening moments as the first triple of the evening saw Leif Moeller give UE its first lead at 3-1. After missing their first three field goal tries, the Bulldogs converted to tie it at 3-3. Triple by Bryce Quinet and Josh Hughes put UE up 9-5 inside the 16-minute mark.
Drake countered with six in a row to retake an 11-9 advantage, but seconds later, it was Hughes knocking down his second trey to put the Aces back on top. The Bulldogs tied the score on three occasions late in the half but would not regain the lead during that time. Two free throws by DU tied the game at 23-23 with 7:04 remaining. A jumper by Moeller put UE back in front as the squad slowly extended the lead in the final two minutes. After a layup by the Bulldogs cut the deficit to 31-27 with 1:34 on the clock, UE regained control.
Hughes' third triple of the night was followed by Moeller's fifth basket of the contest to push the lead to a game-high nine points at 36-27. Drake hit a triple in its final possession to make it a 6-point game at the break. UE had three players in double figures at halftime with Hughes and Moeller scoring 11 while Quinet tallied 10.
AJ Casey knocked down consecutive baskets to put the Aces back up by nine points before Alex Hemenway converted back-to-back 3-pointers to give Evansville its largest lead of the game. His 3-pointers put UE up 48-33 with 16:33 left in the game. Another 3-pointer by Hemenway solidified a 56-38 lead inside of 14 minutes left before Moeller's third long ball pushed the advantage to a game-high 19 points – 59-40 as the game entered the final 13 minutes. Evansville connected on its opening 10 attempts in the second half to extend the lead.
The Bulldogs slowly chipped their way back into it as a pair of triples made it a 13-point game (63-50) with 9:44 on the clock. Four free throws over the next minute chopped the gap back to single digits. Casey ended the 7-0 Drake run with a bucket at the 7:29 mark. Despite the basket, the Bulldogs continued to claw their way back with eight in a row to make it a 3-point game – 65-62 – with 5:38 on the clock. Keying that rally was a 4-point play.
Quinet hit a layup before Moeller found Connor Turnbull for the alley-oop to push the lead back to seven points, but a tenacious Drake squad got back within four as the game went into its final three minutes. Two huge free throws by Quinet made it a 6-point game before Drake found its groove once again. Following a pair of free throws, Andrew Alia knocked down a 3-pointer with 2:23 on the clock to get his squad within one (72-71).
Connor Turnbull hit a free throw in the ensuing possession to push the edge to two points before Drake countered with a 3-point play that gave them the lead for good. They would hang on to win by a final of 82-78. Casey did his best to give UE a chance, hitting a triple with eight ticks remaining to make it a 1-point game, but the Aces would get no closer as they fell by four points.
UE shot a season-high 54.5% in the game marking the fourth time in five games the Purple Aces have shot over 50%. The Bulldogs shot 43.1% in the contest. Evansville led for 35:02 and trailed for just over two minutes in the game. UE remains on the road for a Saturday game at UNI. Tip is set for 3 p.m. at the McLeod Center.
