Despite 32 points from Quinn, Drake falls to rival Bradley at home

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Alex Huibregtse had 29 points in Bradley’s 87-73 win over Drake on Saturday.

Huibregtse went 10 of 14 from the field (9 for 10 from 3-point range) for the Braves (15-8, 8-4 Missouri Valley Conference). Kai Yu scored 12 points while going 5 of 5 from the field. Jaquan Johnson shot 4 for 10, including 2 for 3 from beyond the arc to finish with 10 points. Montana Wheeler also scored 10 points.

Jalen Quinn led the way for the Bulldogs (12-11, 6-6) with 32 points. Andrew Alia added 13 points and 11 rebounds for Drake.

Bradley took the lead with 9:12 remaining in the first half and did not trail again. Yu led his team in scoring with 12 points in the first half to help put them up 41-35 at the break. Huibregtse scored 26 points in the second half.

It was the 171st meeting between the two schools, the oldest rivalry in the MVC. Bradley leads the series 96-75 and has won three of the last four with the Bulldogs.

Drake Team Notes
—Drake, which had a season-high three game winning streak snapped, slipped to 12-11 overall including a 6-6 mark in the Missouri Valley Conference.
—The Bulldogs are 5-7 in home games.
—There were two lead changes and three ties in the game.
—Drake shot 39.7 percent from the floor (23-58), including 40.7 percent (11-27) in the second half. It ended a streak of three straight games in which it had shot 50 percent or better in the second half after hitting 55.2 percent (16-29) in the second half against Murray State, 57.6 percent in the second half (15-26) at Indiana State last Saturday and 56.5 percent (13-23) against Evansville Wednesday.
—The Bulldogs owned a 14-9 advantage in fast break points.
—Drake outscored Bradley in points in the paint, 22-20. Bradley had dominated Drake in points in the paint in the previous game, 34-14.
—Drake fell to 4-10 when trailing at halftime.
—There was a season high crowd of 4,342.
 
Drake Player Notes
—Senior transfer guard Jalen Quinn enjoyed his 12th 20-plus scoring game of the season (third 30-plus scoring game), leading Drake with 32 points—17 in the first half.
—The 12, 20-plus scoring games also are the most by a player in the Missouri Valley Conference this season.
—It marked Quinn’s sixth straight 20-plus scoring game. He is averaging 28 points during that stretch: 21 at Southern Illinois, 28 at UIC, 34 vs. Murray State, 27 at Indiana State, 26 vs. Evansville, 32 vs. Bradley.
—Junior Andrew Alia added 13 points, including seven in the second half, along with a career-high 11 rebounds for his first career double-double.
—Quinn made 10 of 11 free throw attempts. It marked the seventh game this season in which he has had 10 or more free throw attempts, including the fourth time in his last five outings.
—Senior transfer Isaiah Carr collected a season high five blocked shots.
—Wilguens Jr. Exacte, who had started in 13 games, missed his ninth consecutive game because of a foot injury.
 
The Series
—Bradley, earning its second straight win against the Bulldogs, owns a 96-75 series record against Drake.
—Drake’s record against the Braves in Des Moines is 44-32.

Up Next

Now, two challenging road games await the Bulldogs in the week ahead. Drake plays at league-leading Belmont at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, then goes to Illinois State for a 7 p.m. tip-off on Friday, Feb. 6. They’ll be back home to play Valparaiso on Monday, Feb. 9. That one tips at 6:30 p.m.