Box Score DES MOINES, Iowa — In its first game outside of Illinois, Chicago State men's basketball fell, 111-67, to undefeated Drake.
Chicago-native
Coreyoun Rushin (Chicago, IL/Westinghouse College Prep) scored the matchup's first bucket, dropping in a layup a minute into the game. The Bulldogs then responded with an 8-0 run on their home floor.
Over the next seven minutes,
Xavier Johnson (Dallas, Texas/Hopkins H.S.) and
Levelle Zeigler (Oakland, Calif. /Ridgeview HS) each drilled three-pointers for the Cougars, but Drake led, 23-14, at the nine-minute mark. Drake then ignited a 10-3 run, powered by two D.J. Wilkins treys.
Rushin, playing in just his second game, dropped in two more layups before Drake continued a shooting spree. The Bulldogs held a 44-24 lead with 3:00 left in the first half, nailing 62 percent of their shots from the field.
On the heels of back-to-back 20-point performances, Johnson then splashed in his second three-pointer. 90 seconds later, the senior threaded in a picture-perfect bounce pass to a cutting Rushin, who sunk a layup at the first-half buzzer.
Through 20 minutes, the Cougars trailed, 47-29. Rushin's 12 points led all scorers at the time.
Drake then emerged from the locker room and outscored Chicago State, 18-10, over the first five minutes to take a 65-39 lead. Over the subsequent stretch, Drake poured in 11 more points but Johnson nailed his fourth three of the contest entering the under-12 timeout.
In his homecoming, Des Moines-native
Carlo Marble (/West Des Moines Valley) then connected on a pair of jumpers. However, Drake continued to shoot lights-out from behind the arc, leading 97-55 with five minutes remaining.
The Bulldogs closed on a roll for a 111-67 win.
Zeigler drained two threes and powered the Cougars with 18 points. Rushin, 48 hours after making his Chicago State debut, rallied for 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Meanwhile, Johnson poured in 15, all coming on threes. Johnson has now buried 10 three-pointers in his last two games.
Kalil Whitehead (Detroit, Mich./Cass Technical) also racked up 10 points, while Marble scored seven.
Drake's Shanquan Hemphill led all players with 21 points, connecting on nine of his ten shots from the field. The Bulldogs also got double-figures out of Wilkins, with 14, Darnell Brodie, who scored 14, and Jonah Jackson, who tallied 11. Drake shot 60 percent from the floor.
Next up, the Cougars will continue their Hawkeye State swing, facing Iowa State Tuesday at noon central at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.
Next up:
·
Who? Iowa State Cyclones
·
Where? Hilton Coliseum, Ames, Iowa
·
When? Tuesday, December 22, 12:00 p.m. CT
· Broadcast: Video: ESPN+, Audio: WAC Digital Network
