Solid defense down the stretch led the Drake Bulldogs to a 67-60 victory at Southern Illinois Sunday night in Missouri Valley Conference play, their first win in Carbondale since 1996.
Drake coach Mark Phelps on his post game show on KRNT in Des Moines says the win on the road will give them some confidence. The Bulldogs shot only 23 percent in the second half against the Salukis rugged half court defense but only committed nine trurnovers in the game to improve to 2-1 in the Valley.
Phelps says they are handling the ball better and their timing is better on offense, and they can still do better on cutting the turnovers. Junior guard Josh Young added 14 points and says it was hard work on the defensive end that made the difference.
The Bulldogs return to action at home on Wednesday night against Indiana State.