|
Familiar face pains Flames Ex-NU forward Abrahamson leads Drake’s rout By Mike Pankow November 30, 2015
Kale Abrahamson, once a bit player for Northwestern, scored 23 points mostly on the strength of six 3-pointers and keyed a 15-3 second-half run as Drake overwhelmed the Flames 83-62 on Saturday in Des Moines, Iowa. Abrahamson, a West Des Moines native who played two seasons in Evanston before transferring back home before last season, made 6 of 9 3-point attempts as the Bulldogs (4-3) shot 52.5 percent from the field. Abrahamson averaged 4.4 points over 65 career games for Northwestern, including 4.0 in two prior meetings with the Flames, but he has found his touch at Drake. He poured in 41 points against Western Kentucky on Nov. 23. Sophomore Reed Timmer sliced and diced en route to his 23 points on 9-for-14 shooting, scoring on a variety moves to the basket to go with three 3-pointers of his own for Drake, which made 10 of 19 from deep. Freshman forward Dikembe Dixson hit double figures for the third time in four games, leading the Flames (1-3) with 13 points to go with a team-best six rebounds. Senior forward Jake Wiegand posted his second straight double-digit outing with 11 points and sophomore guard Lance Whitaker chipped in 10 points on 4-for-4 shooting with two 3-pointers. The Flames’ offense was subpar, shooting 39.7 percent from the field with a soul-crushing 20 turnovers. UIC had just five assists on 23 baskets. UIC hung tight early, forging a 13-13 tie on Najeal Young’s layup with 12:06 left in the first half, but Drake answered with an 8-0 run. The Flames fought back again to tie it a 23-23 after consecutive baskets by Dixson. Freshman Dominik Olejniczak scored a pair of buckets during a strong five-minute run to end the half for the Bulldogs, who took a 36-30 lead into the locker room. Abrahamson put the game into cruise control by hitting three 3-pointers in the first 5:25 of the second half to extend Drake’s lead to 51-33. The Flames answered with a quick 7-0 run that featured a three-point play by Young and a short jumper by freshman Drew Hackett (seven points), but the Bulldogs’ lead was too insurmountable. Wiegand scored four straight points to bring UIC to within 60-51 with 7:51 to play, but Ore Arogundade hit a tough 17-footer and Abrahamson followed with another 3-pointer to lead back into double figures for good, leaving more work to do for coach Steve McClain and the Flames before Wednesday’s home tilt with DePaul. FLAMES FLICKERS: Senior guard Paris Burns and freshman guard Dominique Matthews returned for the Flames with Burns starting at the point and Matthews coming off the bench. Burns missed the Roosevelt game with dehydration and Matthews sat out two games with a wrist injury. Matthews scored three points on 1-for-7 shooting in 18 minutes and Burns was scoreless with three turnovers in 18 minutes. … The Flames committed 24 fouls to 17 for Drake, but they actually shot more free throws (12-for-20 to 11-for-18). … Sophomore center Tai Odiase was limited due to foul trouble, finishing with six points, three rebounds and two blocks in 21 minutes. … Some early-season injuries have forced McClain to employ four different starting lineups. … The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 7-2 and have won the last two meetings after knocking off the Flames 61-59 at the Pavilion in the season opener two years ago. |
|||
