(PHOTO): Drake sophomore forward Okku Federiko poses for a portrait during media day on Oct. 13, 2025, at the Knapp Center in Des Moines. (Cody Scanlan/The Register)

Register staff report | Des Moines Register

Jalen Quinn scored 20 points and Wilguens Jr. Exacte had a double-double (14 points, 12 rebounds) as the Drake men’s basketball team started the Eric Henderson era with a 77-71 victory over Northern Arizona on Nov. 3 in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Jaehshon Thomas added 15 points and Braden Appelhans came off the bench to score 14 points as Henderson became the 19th coach in school history to win in his Drake coaching debut.

“I’m so excited to be a Bulldog and just mostly happy for our guys, We brought in a whole slew of kids and to be able to bring them together … not one of those guys (had previously) played together. Not one. So to continue to work on that connectivity, to continue to work on that chemistry is so huge. You want to be able to get a few wins along the way, too, and the resiliency we showed in the second half was terrific.”

— Eric Henderson, Drake men’s basketball coach

Drake returns to Des Moines for its home opener against Robert Morris on Nov. 6. Tipoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. at the Knapp Center.

The Drake sports information department contributed this report.