Southern Illinois uses late surge to top Drake 78-67

Jan 31, 2019, 11:28 am

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Aaron Cook scored 18 points, including five in a game-ending 11-0 run, and Southern Illinois rallied for a 78-67 victory over Drake on Tuesday night.

Reed Timmer's layup with 4:19 left to play pulled Drake into a 67-all tie, but Armon Fletcher hit a pair of free throws with 3:09 left and Cook had back-to-back layups to carry the Salukis (15-9, 7-4 Missouri Valley Conference) to their fourth straight win.

Tyler Smithpeters finished with 12 points and eight rebounds for Southern Illinois, which outrebounded the Bulldogs 37-25. Kavion Pippen added 14 points and Fletcher scored 11 as the Salukis shot 51 percent from the floor in a game that saw 16 lead changes.

Timmer topped Drake (12-12, 6-5) with 22 points, while Nick McGlynn scored 12 with 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season. Drake lost for just the second time at home this season. The teams split the season series after Drake posted a 70-67 win on New Year's Eve.