Cancun, Mexico — As Mark Phelps walked off the court Sunday night, he shook the hand of every Drake basketball player.

It was the coach’s way of showing his appreciation following a 68-62 win over New Mexico.

“I really enjoy them,” Phelps said. “I enjoy them as people. They’re terrific kids.”

The Bulldogs bonded during their final game of the Cancun Challenge, improving to 3-2 on the season after enduring a first-half shooting drought.

“I think we showed flashes of what we can be,” said senior forward Brent Heemskerk, who scored 17 points, including his first 3-pointer in three years. “That’s definitely a rewarding feeling.”

It was not such a good feeling for New Mexico coach Steve Alford, who spent eight seasons at Iowa and owned a 15-1 record against Drake.

He pointed to poor defensive play as a reason for the Lobos’ loss.

“We struggle to guard for 40 minutes,” Alford said. “And that’s what we’ve got to learn to do.”

The Bulldogs seized control in the first 5 minutes of the second half, erupting for a 12-2 scoring spurt and building a 45-38 lead.

Josh Young, Adam Templeton and Jonathan Cox all contributed 3-point baskets.
“We know everyone can score on the team,” said Cox, who finished with 12 points and a season-high 14 rebounds. “When we’re hitting on all cylinders, it’s hard to stop us.”

Heemskerk’s lone shot from behind the arc gave Drake a 50-40 cushion.
“That’s the first time I’ve seen that in a while,” Cox said. “It was nice.”

Jacob Baryenbruch followed with a 3-pointer to give Drake a 53-42 advantage with just over 12 minutes remaining.

The lead eventually grew to 62-48 on a Heemskerk jumper, but the Bulldogs failed to make a basket during the closing 6:28.

New Mexico (3-4) drew within 66-62, but Josh Parker’s free throws with 20.6 seconds left clinched the victory.

“I think we’re still somewhat a work in progress,” Heemskerk said. “We’re not there, yet.”

The Lobos were on the verge of blowing out Drake.

They led 13-5, and went on to shoot 45.5 percent in the first 20 minutes.

The Bulldogs’ first six shots were all from 3-point range.

They made one.

Drake was 2-for-12 from long distance, but connected on three straight tries after halftime.

“Coach tells us we’re a great shooting team,” Cox explained. “He says keep shooting them. And when you have a coach who talks like that, it really gives you a lot of confidence.”

Beating New Mexico lifted Drake to third-place in the Cancun Challenge.
More important, it gave the Bulldogs a boost heading into December.

“I think our guys did a tremendous job,” Phelps said. “Great senior leadership.”