WONDER BOYS FALL IN EXHIBITION BASKETBALL ACTION AT DRAKE

       DES MOINES, Iowa – Arkansas Tech Men’s Basketball suffered a heartbreaking 57-51 loss here Sunday to Drake in exhibition action at the Knapp Center.

Tech, who led 31-29 at the half, took a 34-32 lead just a little over a minute into the second half on a three-pointer by junior guard Brandon Friedel (Victoria, Texas), before Drake outscored the Wonder Boys, 11-7 over the next eight minutes to push out to a 43-41 edge.

Following Drake’s run, Tech tied the game at 43 on a tip-in by sophomore guard Laithe Massey (Heber Springs, Ark.) with 10:47 remaining in the game, before being held scoreless for nearly seven minutes. The Bulldogs, who are a member of the Missouri Valley Conference and advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season, finally broke the tie on two free throws by Craig Stanley with 4:17 left and then Josh Young drilled a three-pointer 17 seconds later to push out in front 48-43.

Friedel, who finished with a game-high 17 points, broke Tech’s scoreless drought with a basket with 3:53 remaining in the game to push Tech within 48-45. After Friedel’s basket, Tech took its first lead on a lay-up by senior center Thiago Cordeiro (Recife, Brazil) with 1:31 left in the contest. That would be Tech’s final points of the game as the Bulldogs retook the lead on a lay-up by Stanley with 1:21 left and then hit five free throws in the 53.9 seconds to seal its win.

Young led Drake with 14 points, while Adam Templeton added 12 points. Jonathan Cox pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds and added nine points in Drake’s victory.

Tech, who finished the game shooting 39 percent from the field and 33 percent from the 3-point line, did not attempt a single free throw in the contest, while Drake was 20-for-28 from the foul line, including going 9-for-14 from the line in the second half.

Along with Friedel’s 17 points, senior guard Chad Henderson (Memphis, Tenn.) added 12 points, while Cordeiro, a transfer from Dayton, had 10 points and seven rebounds in his Tech debut.

In the first half, Friedel and Cordeiro combined for nine points to help Tech turn an 8-7 deficit into a 19-11 lead with 8:17 left in the half. Following Tech’s run, Drake retook the lead on a three-pointer Templeton with 2:45 in the half, before the Wonder Boys closed out the first half making three of its final four shots to head into halftime with its two-point lead.

While Tech shot 39 percent from the field and 33 percent from long distance, Drake finished the game shooting 36 percent from the floor and 24 percent from the 3-point line.

Tech will open its 2008-09 regular season next Saturday, Nov. 15, when the Wonder Boys face Northeastern State in a 6 p.m. contest at Tucker Coliseum.

          Drake Box Score

-- Tech Athletics --