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Missouri State defeats reeling Drake 57-39

Sports

February 5th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Kyle Weems had 17 points and seven rebounds to lead Missouri State to a 57-39 win over Drake on Saturday night. Anthony Downing added 12 points for the Bears (14-11, 7-6 Missouri Valley), who were without second-leading scorer Caleb Patterson, who suffered a right ankle sprain on Jan. 25 at Illinois State. Aaron Hawley scored 12 points for Drake (13-11, 6-7), which has been reeling since its triple-overtime victory against Wichita State on Jan. 28. The Bulldogs have shot just 30.6 percent (30 of 98) from the floor in their last two games, both losses. On Saturday, Drake was 12 of 44 shooting.

Missouri State outscored the Bulldogs 11-3 over the last 5:36 of the first half to take a 33-20 lead at the break. Drake got no closer than 15 points the rest of the way. The Bears outrebounded the Bulldogs 36-27 and enjoyed a 20-8 scoring advantage in the paint.