DES MOINES, Iowa — Roman Penn achieved a personal milestone by reaching 1,000 career points in helping the Drake University men’s basketball team to an 86-75 victory over Illinois State at the Knapp Center on Wednesday night.
“I’m so grateful for the position that I’m in,” Penn said. “There are a lot of people that helped me achieve this. I’m very appreciative for everyone along the way.”
Penn, a fifth-year senior, scored 16 points to run his career total to 1,003 as the Bulldogs improved to 3-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference and 12-5 overall with their 13th straight victory at home and fourth in a row over Illinois State. Freshman Tucker DeVries also scored 16 in the fast-paced game.
Illinois State (8-8, 1-2) knocked down 10 3-pointers and kept within striking distance until the Bulldogs pulled safely ahead in the final 7 minutes. Penn, who entered the game with 987 points, was the key in making that happen.
“I thought we did a nice job offensively the whole night,” head coach Darian DeVries said. “You have to make sure that you are organized and in rhythm when playing against Illinois State. I thought Roman was tremendous in helping us do that.”
Illinois State jumped to an early 16-11 lead with the help of four 3-point baskets. Drake then held the Redbirds scoreless for more than 4 minutes and ran off 12 straight points to open a 23-16 lead, DeVries capping the burst with a deep 3. DeVries finished 3-for-8 from long range and now has 41 for the season, moving him into fourth place among Drake freshmen.
For most of the way after that, the game was one of spurts. Illinois State would cut into the lead and then Drake would pull away. The Redbirds pulled into a tie at 42 when Josiah Strong banked in a soft floater from the right side with 40 seconds left in the first half. But they never regained the lead, Penn’s driving layup putting the Bulldogs up 44-42 at halftime.
Drake was leading 71-65 when Penn pulled up for a jump shot at the 6:42 mark, then drove for a basket a little more than a minute later to make it a 10-point game. DeVries found Sturtz for a wide-open layup in a half-court set that stretched the lead to 79-67 and that was too much for the Redbirds to overcome.
Penn, who missed seven games earlier because of a foot injury, wasn’t finished, though. He topped the 1,000-point mark when he got inside and lofted in a short shot from right in front the basket. After Illinois State’s Kendell Lewis sank two free throws, Penn scored on a driving one-handed scoop, then put the finishing touches on the victory with a pass from the lane to D.J. Wilkins, who buried a 3 from the left wing for the game’s final points.
Wilkins finished with 11 points and Sturtz scored 12 on 6-foot-6 shooting. Sturtz, who’s 11-for-12 in the past two games, also grabbed five rebounds, handed out two assists and made two steals. Tremell Murphy added 10 points, all in a stretch of 3:56 to help the Bulldogs increase their lead to 79-67.
Lewis led Illinois State with 20 points, including 4-for-6 shooting from behind the arc. The Bulldogs did a solid job on the Redbirds’ Antonio Reeves, the Valley’s leading scorer with a 21.1 average. Reeves scored 15 points but made just 5-of-13 shots.
Penn’s point total includes 780 over the last three seasons at Drake. He played his freshman season at Siena.
“Roman has meant so much to our program,” DeVries said. “He’s a tremendous leader and is a great representation of our program. You can feel his energy on the floor and the sideline. It’s great to have him back out there.”
Illinois State got to within a single point early in the second half and twice got within 4, but the Bulldogs answered each time, then turned to Penn, its veteran point guard, to secure the victory.
