DES MOINES, Iowa — ShanQuan Hemphill and Garrett Sturtz posted double-doubles and Darnell Brodie scored the go-ahead basket in overtime, lifting the Drake University men’s basketball team to a 70-65 victory over Jackson State at the Knapp Center on Thursday night (Dec. 16).
“It was a scrappy win for us tonight,” head coach Darian DeVries said. “We knew going in that Jackson State was a really good ball club. Credit Jackson State for how hard they plan and how hard they fight. Offensively, it was hard for us and a lot of that had to do with Jackson State’s rim protection.”
Drake improved to 7-4 on the season and won its 29th straight nonconference game at home, but the Bulldogs had to earn it against a feisty Jackson State team that forced them into difficult shots all night.
Every time Drake built a lead, Jackson State stormed back and the Bulldogs couldn’t breathe easily until D.J. Wilkins sank two free throws with 2.4 seconds remaining for the final margin. His bucket in the final minute of regulation produced the overtime.
Drake led 21-14 with 7:23 left in the first half after Wilkins — who had five assists — stole the ball and fed Hemphill for a two-handed dunk. But Jackson State rallied and it was tied at 27 going into halftime.
A 14-1 run in which five different players scored lifted Drake into a 43-34 lead midway through the second half. Again, Jackson State stormed back and led 60-58 with just over a minute to play. Wilkins tied it with a tough 10-foot fadeway on the left baseline with 38 seconds left, Watson missed a jumper that would have put the Tigers back in front and Hemphill snared the rebound.
The Bulldogs had 10 seconds to try to win it in regulation, but Jackson State batted the ball away and the game went into overtime.
Drake trailed 65-64 after Watson made one of two free throws with 1:13 left. DeVries grabbed the rebound when Watson missed his second shot and the Bulldogs went to work on the offensive end. Wilkins had the ball near the free throw and threw a perfect bounce pass down low to Brodie, who dropped in the layup for a 66-65 lead with 45 seconds left.
Jackson State then missed two shots in the closing seconds and the Bulldogs rebounded both. Hemphill pulled down the first one and sank two free throws with 17.9 seconds remaining. Wilkins grabbed the rebound after Watson missed from the top of the key, got fouled and made the final two free throws.
“We just came off of a game where we went to overtime and we had a different result,” DeVries said. “Tonight, I thought we did a better job defensively in overtime and that was the difference.”
Hemphill, who has come on strong in recent games after a slow start to the season, led the Bulldogs with 17 points and 12 rebounds — his first double-double this season and third of his Drake career. Sturtz added 14 points and 10 rebounds — the fourth time in his career he has reached double figures in both categories.
In the last four games, Hemphill has averaged 14.8 points while shooting 53.8 percent (21-of-39).
Brodie gave the Bulldogs a big lift off the bench, scoring 11 points on 5-for-10 shooting and grabbing four rebounds, three of them on the offensive end. Tucker DeVries added 10 points, his fifth straight game in double figures.
It was the second straight overtime game for the Bulldogs, who lost to Clemson 90-80 in Atlanta last Saturday and won this one despite shooting a season lo 38.2 percent from the field.
Jackson State (2-9) completed a three-game swing through Iowa with Thursday night’s loss, which followed setbacks at Iowa State and Northern Iowa. All of the Tigers’ games this season have been on the road and they won’t play at home until Dec. 29.
Jayveous McKinnis just missed a triple-double for the Tigers, scoring 19 points on 8-for-11 shooting, grabbing 10 rebounds and blocking nine shots. The nine blocks were the second-most in an NCAA game this season. Gabe Watson added 17 points for Jackson State — 15 after halftime.
Drake will be back in against on Sunday, Dec. 19 at the Knapp Center against Chicago State with a 2 p.m. tip-off.
