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The Basics
The Drake men’s basketball team closes out its non-conference schedule on Saturday afternoon as it hosts North Dakota State from the Knapp Center. The Bulldogs look to end the non-conference slate on a high note and improve their overall record to 7-4 on the season. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT with the game available to watch on Mediacom22 and stream on ESPN+.
Bulldogs by the Numbers
After a week-long break without any games, the Bulldogs return to the hardwood and will try to add another tally in the win column against a tough NDSU squad. Drake owns an overall record of 6-4 through the first 10 games of the season and have gone 3-3 in home contests. In its last time out Drake fell to UAB, 74-69. Drake’s three losses from the Knapp Center have been by a combined nine points.
Saturdays game with North Dakota State brings a familiar opponent for Drake head coach Eric Henderson to Des Moines. Having spent the last six season at South Dakota State, Henderson faces an old rival. Henderson owns a cumulative record of 9-6 all-time against NDSU including a Summit League Championship victory over the Bison back in 2022.
Senior guard Jalen Quinn has been on a tear for the Bulldogs recently scoring the ball. He currently leads the team averaging 18.3 points per game and over his last five contests has been averaging 21.4 points on .554 shooting from the field. Through games on Dec. 8, Quinn leads the MVC in scoring (18.3), ranks fifth in assists (3.8), seventh in assist/turnover ratio (2.11), and first in minutes (32.8).
Drake Leaders
Jalen Quinn l 18.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.8 apg
Okku Federiko l 12.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.5 blks
Jaehshon Thomas l 11.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg, .400 3pt%
Scouting NDSU
The Bison come into the weekend with an overall record of 8-3 and have won eight of their last nine contests. NDSU already has one game under its belt this week with a road win at CSU Bakersfield, 80-69, on Thursday night. NDSU has gone 2-3 in road games so far this season. The Bison are 1-0 against teams from the Missouri Valley Conference this season as they knocked off Southern Illinois, 92-85, on Nov. 17.
The Bison are led by head coach David Richman, who is in his 12th season at the helm and has spent his entire head coaching career at NDSU. Richman carries a career record of 219-145.
Drake posts an unblemished record against North Dakota State in the all-time series with a mark of 7-0. The Bulldogs are 6-0 against the Bison in games from Des Moines and are 1-0 in neutral site contests. The last time the two sides met was Dec. 1, 2018, from Minneapolis, Minn. with Drake winning 95-88.
NDSU Leaders
Damari Wheeler-Thomas l 15.1 ppg, 2.8 apg, 2.7 rpg
Markhi Strickland l 14.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, .626 FG%
Trevian Carson l 10.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.2 stl
Up Next
Drake begins its MVC slate with a road trip to Murray State on Thursday, Dec. 18 followed by another road contest against Evansville on Sunday, Dec. 21.
