Drake Basketball: Roman Penn leads upset over No. 15 Mississippi State

Drake Basketball upset No. 15 and previously undefeated Mississippi State. Veteran guard Roman Penn played a key role in the final stretch to get the win.

Roman Penn’s late-game heroics sparked Drake to a 58-52 win over previously undefeated Mississippi State. In a battle of the Bulldogs, Drake came from behind to defeat the Southeastern Conference foe.

Drake trailed by eight points at the half and by ten with 16 minutes to go but outscored MSU (11-1) 33-17 the rest of the way. Drake’s win was the Missouri Valley Conference’s second over a top-25 team this season and the Bulldogs’ first top-25 victim since knocking off Loyola Chicago two seasons ago.

Drake’s (9-3) upset victory was its first over a so-called ‘power five’ conference team since defeating Kansas State in 2020.

Penn (19 points), Sardaar Calhoun (17), and Tucker DeVries (15) led the Bulldog offense and Drake held the MSU Bulldogs to a season-low 52 points and forced 17 turnovers. Calhoun’s total included five three-point baskets.

With the game tied at 50 with two minutes left, a DeVries jumper put Drake ahead for good. The Bulldog defense held Mississippi State to one field goal during the game’s final two minutes. Penn did the rest. The veteran guard scored the team’s last six points, including going four-for-four from the free throw line to seal the contest.

During the huge upset, veteran guard D.J. Wilkins became Drake’s all-time career leader in three-point baskets. Number 256 surpassed the total of former Bulldog Josh Young.

Drake coach Darian DeVries’ postgame comments were filled with pride.

"“I was really proud of the guys because we were able to beat them at their own game,” head coach Darian DeVries said. “Matching their physicality says a lot about the type of game we played. Our guys did a great job coming out and controlling the glass on the defensive end while limiting our turnovers.”"

The neutral site game was part of the ‘Battle for the Vault’ event in Lincoln, Nebraska. Drake’s victory was the second of three games. Host school Nebraska, Concordia, Oklahoma Wesleyan, and Queens were the other participating schools.

Mississippi State was one of five undefeated teams heading into the contest. Eric Reed Jr led the Bulldogs with 11 points.

Drake travels home to play a re-scheduled game with Saint Ambrose Wednesday at 1:00 pm. Mississippi State is off until a December 28 matchup with Alabama.