Hoiberg on Drake loss: 'Put this one on me'

DES MOINES - Rayvonte Rice came back.

Ben Simons rose up.

And Drake's fans frolicked at the Knapp Center - in celebration and, perhaps, mild disbelief.

It was one of those nights for the Bulldogs, who lost earlier this month in an exhibition game to Quincy, but hung on for a wild 74-65 win Tuesday over favored Iowa State before a crowd of 5,665.

Cyclone coach Fred Hoiberg saw it coming.

Sort of.

“Put this one on me, I'll say that,” said Hoiberg, whose team led 49-47 before Rice's personal run of 7-0 put Drake ahead to stay with 7:47 left. “Our practices weren't great the last two days and that's on me as a coach. I can promise you I'm going to have these guys ready. We're not as good as we think we are, that's for sure. We've got to come out ready to go starting on Thursday.”

What happened Tuesday?

First, Rice, who sat out the season opener for violating team rules, scored 18 points and Simons struck for a game-high 24.

Hoiberg credited the Bulldogs for their execution - they shot 60 percent in the second half, but said ISU's ball screen defense was “awful.”

“(Rice) got around our guys,” said Hoiberg, whose team fell to 1-1. “Just simple things like guarding the basketball, we just didn't do a good enough job at that. He exposed us.”

Drake bolted to an early 18-13 lead on Rice's first three pointer, but the Cyclones crafted a 7-0 run capped by Tyrus McGee's three to lead, 20-18.

The game remained tight until the closing minutes, with ISU earning it's final lead at 49-47 on McGee's third long-range basket of the game with 11:13 left.

Then came Rice's run.

ISU managed one point in the next 4:43, but did come back to cut its deficit to three, 68-65, on a Royce White layup with one minute left.

But Drake (2-0) scored the final six points, including free throws from Simons and Karl Madison that sealed the improbable win - the Bulldogs' first in the past four games in the series.

“We kind of just came in the game thinking they were just going to give it to us,” said Cyclone guard Chris Allen, who had a game-high seven assists. “They came out playing harder than us and it showed.”

What was missing for ISU?

“We got outplayed tonight and we got outworked in a lot of areas,” said Cyclone forward Royce White, who notched his second double-double of the season with 21 points and 14 rebounds. “We've got some things we've got to clean up.”

That starts in practice.

ISU is officially off today and returns - hard - on Thursday.

“I'm sure a lot of guys are going to get in the gym and get some shots up (today),” said Allen, whose team shot 36.8 percent. “I think we're going to bounce back all right.”

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