Drake Bulldogs @ Illinois State Redbirds
Drake 82, Illinois St. 77
NORMAL, Ill. -- Chris Hines and Ben Simons scored 23 points apiece as Drake defeated Illinois State 82-78 Saturday night.
Jordan Clarke added 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Bulldogs (7-9, 1-4 Missouri Valley), who snapped a four-game losing streak. Joey King had 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Johnny Hill had a career-high 24 points (all in the second half), Bryant Allen added 22 and Jackie Carmichael had 19 points and 12 rebounds for Illinois State (9-8, 0-5), which has lost five straight.
Drake trailed for most of the first half, falling behind 41-32 at halftime, but opened the second half with a 25-6 run to take a 57-47 lead with 12:43 remaining.
The Redbirds got as close as 77-73 on Hill's three-point play with 37 seconds left, but Drake hit 5 of 6 free throws the rest of the way to close it out.
Game Information
Normal, IL
Referee:Hal Lusk
Referee:Bob Staffen
Referee:Jeff Campbell
2025-26 Standings
| Missouri Valley ConferenceMissouri Valley Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belmont | 16-4 | - | 26-6 |
| Bradley | 13-7 | 3 | 21-13 |
| Illinois State | 12-8 | 4 | 23-13 |
| Murray State | 12-8 | 4 | 20-13 |
| UIC | 12-8 | 4 | 19-16 |
| Northern Iowa | 11-9 | 5 | 23-13 |
| Valparaiso | 11-9 | 5 | 18-15 |
| Southern Illinois | 10-10 | 6 | 16-16 |
| Drake | 6-14 | 10 | 14-20 |
| Indiana State | 4-16 | 12 | 11-21 |
| Evansville | 3-17 | 13 | 7-25 |
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