Drake hangs on for 70-67 win over Southern Illinois (Dec 31, 2017)
CARBONDALE, Ill. (AP) Reed Timmer scored 20 points and Drake held off a Southern Illinois rally for a 70-67 win Sunday.
Nick McGlynn added 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds for Drake, which led by as much as 16 points in the first half but had to scramble as Southern Illinois rallied late in the second period to pull within two points with under a minute left. Drake (8-6, 2-0 Missouri Valley Conference) hit 26 of 61 from the field.
The Salukis (9-6, 1-1) tightened the game with a four-minute, 10-2 burst to trail 67-62 with 1:28 remaining. Armon Fletcher and Marcus Bartley each had 3-pointers in the run, and later Aaron Cook got a 3 with 44 seconds left to trim the gap to 69-67.
Fletcher, who finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds for Southern Illinois, missed two 3-pointers down the stretch, including the game's final shot at the buzzer.
Sean Lloyd Jr. and Bartley added 13 points apiece for the Salukis and Cook had 10.
