Drake men’s basketball overcomes 3-point woes in scrappy win over Texas Southern

Drake men’s basketball fans are accustomed to game-changing plays from big-man Darnell Brodie.

Saturday’s matchup against Texas Southern featured more of those moments. A block from Brodie, that he then collected and followed up with two-points on the other end. A made layup off the inbound with one second left on the shot clock. Muscling his way around a defender to make a shot from under the net.

And several more plays that kept Drake in the game.

Drake’s Darnell Brodie attempts a shot as the shot clock expires against Texas Southern’s Grayson Carter during a men’s basketball game at the Knapp Center on Saturday, November 25, 2023 in Des Moines.

“His physicality is a huge difference maker in a lot of games, and it certainly showed tonight,” Darian DeVries said.

Brodie fouled out with under two minutes left in the Bulldogs 77-71 win over Texas Southern, and that allowed another player to step up and make some plays. Nate Ferguson made an offensive rebound off a missed free throw, and then when he was fouled, made both of his free throws to pad Drake’s shrinking lead.

“That’s just being ready when your number’s called, and coming in and making an impact,” Darian DeVries said. “Even on the defensive end, I thought Nate did a terrific job of helping us corral (PJ Henry).”

Sure, Drake pulled out a Thanksgiving weekend win, but the Bulldogs gave up a 13-point lead in the second half and allowed it to come down to the final minutes of the game to add the win column.

It was The Bulldogs improved to 5-1 on the young season.

“We didn’t really bring it tonight,” Tucker DeVries said. “You’re never gonna complain about a win. But we definitely know we’ve got some things to clean up, to fix, and we’ve got two conference games next. It’s gonna happen fast.

“We’re gonna have some ups and downs throughout the season. But we have to make sure we continue to climb to be our best at the end of the year.”

Drake’s Tucker DeVries drives to the basket against Texas Southern’s Deon Stroud during a men’s basketball game at the Knapp Center on Saturday, November 25, 2023 in Des Moines.

Bulldogs battle back in the first half

Drake walked away with the win against Texas Southern, but the Tigers didn’t make it easy.

The Bulldogs led for just 25 seconds in the opening twelve-and-a-half minutes of the game. Something seemed to click after a media timeout with 7:22 left in the first half, and Drake went on an 8-0 run — four free throws and two field goals — out of that break to retake the lead.

Kevin Overton and Darnell Brodie each scored a field goal prior to that media timeout for a 12-point run by the Bulldogs. Drake outscored Texas Southern 24-7 in the final ten minutes of the first half.

“I thought the first part of that first half, they were pretty comfortable,” Darian DeVries said. “And then the last eight minutes of the first half, I thought we were dictating on the defensive end, didn’t let them get stuff clean, they weren’t getting to their spots, and we were forcing them into a lot more bad possessions.”

That lead didn’t hold in the second half, but it was enough to keep the Tigers at bay. And even as the Tigers and Bulldogs exchanged shots in the second half, those things that worked well for Drake at the end of the first prevailed.

Drake makes up for poor 3-point shooting in other areas

The Bulldogs went 1-of-12 — or 8.3% — from beyond the arc.

Conor Enright scored Drake’s lone three toward the end of the first half, and the Bulldogs didn’t make any of their six attempts from deep in the second half.

It was the first time Drake scored just one three-pointer since the 2021-22 season. In their opening game of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament against SIU, the Bulldogs went 1-of-9 from 3-point range.

Drake’s Kevin Overton attempts a shot during a men’s basketball game at the Knapp Center on Saturday, November 25, 2023 in Des Moines.

Drake also won that game, 65-52.

Part of the reason for the shotting struggles could have been the Bulldogs’ schedule in the last week: playing three games in three days in the Cayman Islands, traveling back to Des Moines and throwing in a holiday two days before returning to the Knapp Center.

“Coming off a three-day (tournament), it’s not an excuse to come out that flat,” Tucker DeVries said. “It might have been on the dead legs from the trip, a little bit. Going 1-for-12, it’s better to win than to lose. I don’t think that’ll be the theme of the year.”

But Drake isn’t about to use that as an excuse.

“Those things all matter, but the team we played had the same stuff going on,” Darian DeVries said. “(But) what were the 12 threes we got? Were they good looks, were they not good looks, and I think some of them were.

“You’re gonna have nights like that, where you don’t shoot it well, and you still gotta figure out a way to win.”

Why isn’t Ethan Roberts suited up for Drake?

The 6-foot-5 sophomore transferred to Drake in the offseason but has yet to see any action in a Bulldogs jersey.

Roberts averaged 12.4 points and 4.4 rebounds in his freshman season at West Point. He shot 47.6% from the field, 40.7% from 3-point range and 84.8% from the charity stripe, and he was named the Patriot League’s Rookie of the Year.

Six games into the season, he hasn’t registered a minute of playing time and he’s been on the bench in street clothes. During media day availability, Roberts did share with the Register that he did get hurt in the summer but did not elaborate on the extent of his injury.

DeVries did not provide more details on why Roberts has sat for six games.

“He’s just dealing with a medical issue right now,” Darian DeVries said postgame.

Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Drake men’s basketball overcomes 3-point woes against Texas Southern