DES MOINES, Iowa - Drake's two Missouri Valley All-Conference selections showed why they earned those honors in the second half, rallying the Bulldogs past North Dakota in the opening round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament on Wednesday.
Junior Ben Simons scored 13 of his game-high 24 points in the second half, while sophomore Rayvonte Rice chipped in with all of 19 of his points after the break to keep the Bulldogs' season alive.
UND sophomore Brandon Brekke (East Grand Forks, Minn.) led the visitors with 18 points and a career-high equaling 15 rebounds in the setback. Classmate Troy Huff (Milwaukee, Wis.) added 15 points and six rebounds, while senior Patrick Mitchell (Des Moines, Iowa) closed out his Sioux career with 13 points.
Brekke, whose double-double was his fifth of the season, gave the Sioux a 26-24 lead at the break with a putback in the closing seconds. The rebound was his 10th of the opening half.
The Sioux held a 37-30 advantage on the break, but Simons and Rice made the plays down the stretch, overcoming a six-point deficit midway through the half.
UND overcame a 12-point deficit of its own in the first half as 10-0 run put the visitors ahead 24-22 for the first time of the contest.
The loss snapped a six-game winning streak for UND, who closes out the season with a 17-15 mark - the second-straight winning season as the team will transition to the Big Sky Conference next season.
Full recap and box score to follow ...
Junior Ben Simons scored 13 of his game-high 24 points in the second half, while sophomore Rayvonte Rice chipped in with all of 19 of his points after the break to keep the Bulldogs' season alive.
UND sophomore Brandon Brekke (East Grand Forks, Minn.) led the visitors with 18 points and a career-high equaling 15 rebounds in the setback. Classmate Troy Huff (Milwaukee, Wis.) added 15 points and six rebounds, while senior Patrick Mitchell (Des Moines, Iowa) closed out his Sioux career with 13 points.
Brekke, whose double-double was his fifth of the season, gave the Sioux a 26-24 lead at the break with a putback in the closing seconds. The rebound was his 10th of the opening half.
The Sioux held a 37-30 advantage on the break, but Simons and Rice made the plays down the stretch, overcoming a six-point deficit midway through the half.
UND overcame a 12-point deficit of its own in the first half as 10-0 run put the visitors ahead 24-22 for the first time of the contest.
The loss snapped a six-game winning streak for UND, who closes out the season with a 17-15 mark - the second-straight winning season as the team will transition to the Big Sky Conference next season.
Full recap and box score to follow ...
