Tucker DeVries scores career-high 36 points in Drake basketball's season-opening win

It wasn't always pretty in Drake men's basketball's 85-70 win over Lipscomb, but the Bulldogs got the job done.

“Good, hard-fought win for us, and away we go,” Drake coach Darian DeVries said postgame. “You practice and you practice and you practice…and you aren’t positive, when you get your group out there, how they’re going to react to the live action.”

But there was no denying that, on the night when Drake (1-0) unveiled a conference championship banner, the energy would be high. But that energy didn't equal immediate results.

Tucker DeVries tumbled to the ground after letting off a last-ditch, 3-point attempt at the end of the first half. The 6-foot-7 junior’s shot hit part of the rim and the backboard but didn’t go in, and Drake headed to the locker room down 48-44 to Lipscomb.

The reigning Missouri Valley Conference champions looked far from polished in that first half, letting the Bisons hit 60% of their 3-point attempts. Drake went 36% from beyond the arc.

To start the second half, after a 3-pointer from Lipscomb, Atin Wright dished the ball to DeVries, who took the contact as he went up and hit his and-one after. DeVries turned around, flexed his arms and screamed in celebration.

Owen McCormack was called for a technical foul shortly after and DeVries hit both free shots to give Drake its first lead since very early in the first half. DeVries extended the Bulldogs’ lead to two points after another technical against Lipscomb, and the Knapp Center crowd erupted.

“I thought we took a big step in a short period of time...in that second half,” Darian DeVries said.

Capitalizing on fouls, the Bulldogs surged ahead in the final 20 minutes. DeVries scored 17 points on his own to start the second, and either scored or had an assist with the first 26 points.

It was too much for Lipscomb to come back from, with three Drake players finishing in double digits. DeVries led the team with 36 points, surpassing his previous career-high of 32 points.

“This year, I think my mindset’s just doing whatever it takes to win the game,” Tucker DeVries said.

Here's what we learned from the Bulldogs' season opener.

Tucker DeVries shows improvement on defense

He’s the returning MVC Player of the Year and the preseason favorite to win the award again this season.

But that doesn’t mean there wasn’t room for DeVries to improve his game.

And the high-scoring star needed to up his defense, especially with 10 newcomers on the roster and the Bulldogs graduating D.J. Wilkins, one of the top defenders on Drake’s conference championship squad.

DeVries came out aggressive against Lipscomb. He didn’t shy away from getting physical and kept up the pressure. It was a marked improvement for the junior guard. His defense wasn’t bad in years past, but his play against Lipscomb was reflective of his offseason work.

DeVries knows better than anyone how much he made improving his defense a priority.

“Yeah, cause I think if I didn’t, I didn’t have Roman (Penn), D.J. (Wilkins) and Garrett (Sturtz) there to save me,” Tucker DeVries said about improving his defense. “I’d look really bad. It’s been an emphasis, as a group, to really grow defensively and, as a team, we’ve gotten a lot better at covering up for each other.”

Atin Wright and Kevin Overton fit nicely into Darian DeVries' system

Kevin Overton doesn’t play like a true freshman.

That was evident when he sank a long-range bucket on his first career shot. Overton is poised, conditioned and confident in the skill set he brings to the court. It helps that he can score from all over and has the defensive play to back up his offense.

Overton finished the season opener with seven points, four rebounds, an assist and a block.

“Kevin, with his length, I think he’s got a chance to be an elite defender for us as the year goes on,” Darian DeVries said.

Then there is Atin Wright, a junior transfer who didn’t miss a beat playing in a new starting lineup.

The 6-foot-1 guard doesn’t quit, whether it’s driving for a shot or cutting cross-court to cover an open opponent. It’s clear to see why Wright earned a spot in the starting five and that he’ll work hard to make sure he stays in that spot.

Wright had 15 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals.

“Both of them can go make plays for themselves, they can go make plays for others, both very capable of having one of those nights where they can go get 20 in a hurry,” Darian DeVries said. “So, I’m excited about their potential growth.”

Bulldogs work through miscommunication in season opener

A win is a win, but this matchup was ugly at times for Drake.

One moment that stood out was in the first half was when the Bulldogs transitioned to defense and Darnell Brodie yelled for Colby Garland to get to his man. Wright saw space that needed coverage and rushed over, but his speed got the best of him, and it resulted in a foul.

That was one example of miscommunication that hurt or hindered Drake throughout the game.

“There’s times where we had some communication breakdowns,” Darian DeVries said. “Your first game, you’ve got a lot of things coming at you fast and it can freeze you a little bit. I thought the guys (in the second half) just settled in to playing hard, getting their communication back up at the level that they’re usually pretty good at.”

But that isn’t overly concerning, at least not at this point in the season. The Bulldogs had communication issues early last season, too, just shaking off the rust from the offseason. So, it makes sense that a team with 10 new players would need to work through some kinks in a game situation.

Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Tucker DeVries' 36 points leads Drake men's basketball past Lipscomb