Drake holds early lead, defeats Albany (NY) 71-63

Dec 23, 2014, 10:27 pm

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Richard Carter made two clutch buckets and five free throws for 9 of his 26 points in the final two minutes as Drake answered Albany's late-game push for a 71-63 victory on Monday.

Albany scored the first points, but Drake (8-3) raced away on long-range shooting with a pair of 3-pointers from Jordan Daniels and three from Carter. The Bulldogs hit 10 of 19 from 3-point range.

The Great Danes (6-6) fought back after halftime. John Puk scored 10 of his 16 points, Peter Hooley scored 9 of his 11 and assisted on four of five buckets, down the stretch as Albany closed to 60-59 on a DJ Evans 3-pointer. Evans finished with 14 points.

After the Evan's 3 made it a one-point game, Drake's Chris Caird scored a layup and then Carter took over with a jumper, a three-point play and 4-for-4 free-throw shooting down the stretch.