Despite a furious fight the finish, an uncharacteristic shooting performance thwarted the Drake University men's basketball team's hopes of ending the regular season with a win. The Bulldogs' off night allowed Valparaiso to escape the Knapp Center with a 69-64 win Saturday afternoon. Drake was held to 33.9 percent shooting in the loss and faced a 13-rebound deficit.
Drake (16-15, 10-8 MVC) was led by 28 points from Reed Timmer (New Berlin, Wis.) on 8-of-12 shooting. Valparaiso (15-16, 6-12 MVC) shot 46.7 percent as a team to pull away from the Bulldogs in the second half with 22 points from Derrik Smits on 10-of-14 shooting while Markus Golder and Tevonn Walker combined for 21 rebounds.