The Drake Bulldogs jumped out to a 16 point second half lead then held off a late comeback by New Mexico for a 68-62 victory ion the third place game of the Cancun Challenge. Brent Heemskerk had a big night for the Bulldogs as he finished with 17 points and five rebounds.

Drake coach Mark Phelps who says the Bulldogs set the tone with a solid effort on defense and good leadership from the seniors. Phelps says they communicated well and really rotated and played great defense against a very good team.

With the win the Bulldogs improve to 3-2 on the season. Phelps says they are still a work in progress with lots of areas for improvement and that’s what he continues to look for from the team. Drake hosts Lincoln University of Missouri on Wednesday night.