DES MOINES, IOWA - Junior guard Al Stewart (Chicago, Ill.) made five free throws in the final minute and 55 seconds to help the Drake men's basketball team rally for a 75-73 Missouri Valley Conference victory past Bradley Thursday night at the Knapp Center.
It marked the Bulldogs' 100th victory in the Knapp Center as they improved to 9-6 overall , including a 2-2 league record while snapping a two-game losing streak. It also marked the first time Drake has won five straight contests against Bradley in the 120-game series.
Senior guard Tony Bennett scored a season-high 23 points, including 21 in the first half, for Bradley which suffered its 12th straight MVC road loss. The Braves fell to 8-4 overall, including a 2-2 league mark. Marcellus Sommerville scored all of his 14 points in the second half and senior forward Lawrence Wright added 11 points.
Freshman redshirt forward Jonathan Cox (Barrington, Ill.) came off the bench to score a career-high 15 points to lead Drake along with senior guard Chaun Brooks (San Antonio, Texas), who shot six-of-eight from the floor en route to a 14-point effort.
Cox was part of a bench brigade that outscored Bradley's reserves, 36-16.
Stewart ended the game with 14 points, including a six-of-seven performance from the charity stripe. He also grabbed a game and career-high eight rebounds, while dishing out four assists and collecting two steals.
Zach Andrews committed a technical foul protesting a foul with 5:27 remaining, allowing Brooks to tie the game at 59-59 on the two technical free throws before Stewart stepped to the free throw line on the same play to give Drake its first lead of the game, 60-59.
A three-pointer by Sommerville with 2:26 remaining gave the Braves back a 68-66 lead.
Then the 5-10 Stewart sparked the come-from-behind victory with a key three-point play by arching a layup over the outstretched hands of Bradley's 7-foot center Patrick O'Bryant and getting fouled on the play with 1:57 left.
The play, in which O'Bryant fouled out, gave the Bulldogs a 69-68 lead. After a jumper by guard Daniel Ruffin gave Bradley a 70-69 lead with 1:20 remaining, the Bulldogs closed out the game by making six straight free throws including four by Stewart.
Junior guard Nick Grant gave the lead back to Drake for good at 71-70, after being fouled on the defensive end. Bradley missed its next four shots, while Stewart sank four free throws in the final 16 seconds.
The Braves opened the game hitting six of their first seven shots to race to a 14-6 lead following a layup by Bennett with 15:11 left.
Drake pulled within one point three times but could never grab the lead in the first half. After a layup by Stewart allowed Drake to pull within 40-39 the Braves hit four free throws in the last 66 seconds to enjoy a 44-39 halftime lead.
Drake shot just 38 percent (22-of-58), but made up for the cold shooting on the floor with a sizzling 90 percent (27-of-30) performance from the free throw line.
The Bulldogs also outrebounded Bradley, 35-34.
Bradley will conclude its two-game Valley road swing Sunday afternoon by visiting Southern Illinois in a 2:05 p.m. contest to be televised by ESPNU. The Salukis have won 29 straight home games overall and 38 consecutive Valley games at SIU Arena.
