Drake men, UNI women earn key victories

It took five years and one day but Drake final won a road game in Missouri Valley Conference play. The Bulldogs scored their final six points from the free throw line to edge Illinois State 81-78 on Sunday, snapping a Valley road losing streak at 43-games. Guard Aaron Thomas is one of four seniors on the roster and says they wanted to end the streak before their careers came to an end. With three games remaining, Drake has moved into a sixth place tie in the Valley standings.The Northern Iowa women picked up a huge win Sunday by downing 15th ranked Southwest Missouri State 99-80. The Panthers outscored the Lady Bears 56-35 in the second half and Coach Tony Dicecco says his team played well in all phases. The Panthers have won two straight games after dropping three of the previous four.