The Missouri Valley Conference has been dominated in recent years by Wichita State, Creighton and Northern Iowa, but the Drake Bulldogs got off to a positive start with a 61-59 victory at Illinois-Chicago for new head coach Ray Giacoletti.Richard Carter scored a career-best 38 points as Drake hung on to escape on Saturday. Drake established a nine-point lead over the Flames with eight minutes left, but had to hold on to survive a furious comeback which ended when a last-second shot rimmed out.
Carter, a 5'11" senior from Detroit who averaged less than 10 points per game last season, hit 12 of 17 from the field and was 12-for-12 from the foul line. Hitting two of four from three-point range, Carter helped out with three rebounds and four steals. His 38 points is the most scored in Division-I so far this season.
The Bulldogs last won the Missouri Valley title and tournament in the 2007-08 season, when they went to the NCAA tournament, finishing with a school record of 28-5. Drake was 15-17 last season and 7-11 in conference competition.
The Bulldogs play their first home game Tuesday night, when they host Iowa Wesleyan.
