Jaehshon Thomas scores 18 to help Drake slip past Evansville 66-65

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) — Jaehshon Thomas had 18 points to help Drake hold on for a 66-65 victory over Evansville on Sunday.

Thomas went 7 of 12 from the field (4 for 6 from 3-point range) for the Bulldogs (7-6, 1-1 Missouri Valley Conference). Wilguens Jr. Exacte scored 11 points, shooting 5 for 15, including 1 for 6 from beyond the arc. Griffen Goodbary shot 2 of 3 from the field and 4 of 6 from the free-throw line to finish with nine points.

The Purple Aces (4-9, 0-2) were led in scoring by Connor Turnbull, who finished with 20 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks. AJ Casey added 12 points and three steals, while Alex Hemenway finished with 11 points.

Thomas put up nine points in the first half for Drake, which led 29-27 at the break. The Bulldogs used a 7-0 run in the second half to build a 14-point lead at 47-33 with 13:02 left. Evansville had a chance to tie but Hemenway missed the second of two free throws with 33 seconds left and neither team scored from there.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.