Darian DeVries
Liam Robbins led the Drake with 19 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks as the Bulldogs beat Illinois State, 84-74, on Thursday night at the Knapp Center. The triumph was Drake’s 14th-straight win at home.
Five Bulldogs scored in double figures to fend off the hot shooting of Illinois State’s Zach Copeland, whose 32 points are the most a Drake opponent has poured in this season.
Robbins started quickly by posting six points and four rebounds in the first four minutes of action. He scored in double figures for the 10th-straight outing, and his strong play on both ends enabled the Bulldogs to gain a 44-24 advantage in points in the paint.
“He [Robbins] continues to just grow in confidence,” said Drake head coach Darian DeVries. “Nineteen and 12 tonight, it’s becoming normal almost for him and what I love about him is he’s nowhere close to what he’s capable of yet. His confidence is growing and our guys’ confidence in him is helping us play through him.”
Jonah Jackson provided an offensive avalanche in the early going, scoring all of his 13 points in the opening half. In a three-minute span, Jackson erupted for 10 points by nailing a trio of triples and converting a four-point play on one of them.
Roman Penn notched 12 points and six assists to continue his run of strong play. Over the last six games, Penn is shooting 31-of-53 (58.5 percent) from the field.
D.J. Wilkins chipped in 13 points to round out Drake’s double-digit scorers. Wilkins salted the game away at the free-throw line, finishing 6-of-7 from the stripe.