Des Moines, IA (Sports Network) - Rayvonte Rice recorded a double-double of 19
points and 10 rebounds to lead the Drake Bulldogs to a 78-63 win over the
Southern Illinois Salukis in a Missouri Valley Conference battle at the Knapp
Center.
Ben Simons returned to action after missing the previous five games to chip in
14 points for Drake (16-13, 9-8 MVC), while Jeremy Jeffers and Kurt Alexander
netted 11 points each.
Mamadou Seck paced the Salukis (8-21, 5-12) with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Jeff Early added 18 points and nine rebounds as SIU lost its fifth in a row.
The Bulldogs took a 38-25 lead into halftime after they shot 59.1 percent from
the floor and hit 4-of-6 from beyond the arc in the opening period. SIU
managed to connect on just 33.3 percent of its field goal tries in the first
half.
Drake extended its lead after the break by hitting 52.4 percent of its shots
from the field and converting 17-of-24 from the charity stripe in the final 20
minutes.
The Salukis were ice cold from deep as they made just 1-of-16 attempts from
beyond the arc in the contest. Despite the loss, SIU held a 36-30 advantage in
the rebounding battle.
GAME NOTES:
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