The Drake Bulldogs dropped their third straight game. Illinois State made 28 of 31 free throws and outrebounded the Bulldogs 45-23 in a 64-53 victory.

Drake coach Mark Phelps on his post game show on KRNT in Des Moines says a combination of things on the offensive and deffensive ends led to their loss. It was the second straight game junior forward Ben Simons missed due to mono. He will likely be out on Sunday when the Bulldogs host Evansville.

Phelps says they have three days to prepare and get better to face an Evansville team that just beat Creighton.

Drake is 6-8 in the Valley and 13-12 overall.

Drake will be without second lead scorer Ben Simons on Wednesday night when the Bulldogs visit Illinois State on Wednesday night. The junior forward missed Saturday’s loss to Missouri State after being diagnosed with mononucleosis.

Drake coach Mark Phelps says they are concerned about the size of Simon’s spleen and he is being checked regularly. Phelps says it’s a problem that has different affects on different guys. He expects the Bulldogs to play better without Simons now that they have had a few days to adjust.

He says they did not play well on either end of the court against Missouri State and he says they’ve had some time to adjust to Simons not being there. His absence is a tough blow to the Bulldogs who stand 6-7 in the Valley and 13-11 overall.

“I think people notice mostly his scoring, but he has a really high basketball I-Q, he plays really well with his teammates, he’s an underrated defender,” Phelps says.

Drake beat Illinois State in the first matchup in Des Moines. The Redbirds are 7-6 in the league race.

The Drake Bulldogs fell on the road at Indiana State 61-54 in Missouri Valley Conference play. Drake had big scoring droughts, including one of 8:34 in the second half, that hurt their chances. On his postgame show on KRNT, Drake coach Mark Phelps said the lack of offense was tough to overcome.

“You have to give Indiana State credit, I thought they packed their defense in and made it tough for us…I thought that was key. But we weren’t our normal selves tonight on offense and that’s unfortunate, it’s disappointing,” Phelps said. The Bulldogs also struggled at the the free throw line.

“We haven’t been a good free throw shooting team, and it’s going to catch up to you’ Phelps said. He says the poor free throw shooting contributed to their lack of offense.

Sophomore Rayvonte Rice scored a game-high 17 points and junior Ben Simons had 13 for the Bulldogs. Drake falls to 6-6 in the MVC and 13-10 overall. They host Missouri State on Saturday.

Drake’s players got Sunday off to recover from their three-overtime win against Wichita State Saturday, but after two days of practice, they’re back at it tonight on the road at Indiana State.

Coach Mark Phelps feels the win over the Shockers was part of the team’s growth. “I sense a maturity and a greater discipline from our team, and a steady hunger. They are certainly excited about the win, but feel is we play the right way, we can win more games,” Phelps says.

He says the understanding of how they need to play should help them avoid a letdown after the big win. “I’ve said this all along, we have enough that if we play the right way with great energy and we defend to our best ability, we can beat anybody. At the same time, we’re not talented that if we don’t play that way we can lose any game we play,” Phelps explains. “So I think they have that mindset.”

He says getting a win at Indiana State will require their best effort as they are the defending tournament champions and it is a challenge to go on the road. “It’s gonna be a battle, and we have to play with great energy and we have to defend, and it’s just gonna be I’m sure, a hard fought and intense game from both teams,” Phelps says.

Drake is 13-9 overall and tied for third at 6-5 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Indiana State is 13-9 and 4-7 in the conference. Game time is 7 p.m.

Drake trimmed a 15 point Creighton lead to two in the second half but the 15th ranked Blue Jays held on for a 77-69 win in the Knapp Center. Doug McDermott poured in 30 points to lead Creighton while Rayvonte Rice led the Bulldogs with 23 points and also added 11 rebounds.

Drake coach Mark Phelps on his post game show on KRNT in Des Moines said he thought his team competed very well.”I’m proud of our team for battling and I think we got better in some areas tonight, so that’s a good thing moving forward,” Phelps says.

Phelps says the game plan for the Bulldogs was to attack the basket. “I thought we did a good job, we got in the paint…I thought we did a good job. Obviously McDermott was a load and he had a terrific game, I’m really proud of my guys once again for competing and getting better tonight.”

Drake falls to 5-5 in the Valley and12-8 overall.

In a game that featured 17 lead changes and 13 ties the Drake Bulldogs made the key plays a crunch time as they won at Southern Illinois 75-68 in overtime.

Drake coach Mark Phelps on his post game show on KRNT in Des Moines, said they demonstrated poise, composure and trust. “In that lockerroom we talked about that, we did things together.” The victory for the Bulldogs was their fourth straight as they improve to 5-3 in the Missouri Valley Conference.

“This was out most emotional win this year, and our most exciting win. These experiences are starting to galvanize our team and that is exciting,” Phelps says.

Ben Simons led Drake with 20 points as the Bulldogs improve to 12-7 overall.

The Drake Bulldogs will be in search of their fourth straight win, tonight, when they visit Southern Illinois in Missouri Valley Conference play. The Bulldogs are 4-3 in the league race and coach Mark Phelps says they will face a tough challenge against a Saluki team that has gotten healthier and better.

Phelps says the Salukis have a lot of things on both ends of the court that make them better than their overall record indicates.

Junior Ben Simons was a big factor in Drake’s win streak. He averaged better than 19 and a half points in the three wins and was named the MVC player of the week.

“He’s been challenged to be more aggressive, he’s been challenged to continue give us a great effort on defense, he’s aggressive for us and is shooting the ball with a lot of confidence,” Phelps says. He says Simons has become a leader that the team looks up to.

Phelps says the Bulldogs have made more of a commitment on the defensive end and it is showing up on the scoreboard. “You have to defend in this league to have any shot,” Phelps says. He says while their defensive numbers are not the greatest, they have gotten better and that is a start.