WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Joseph Yesufu scored 21 points and Drake beat Wichita State 53-52 on Thursday night in the First Four, the Bulldogs' first NCAA Tournament win in a half-century.
Drake's previous tournament victory was 50 years ago to the day —- March 18, 1971, against Notre Dame. The Bulldogs were hardly overmatched in this year's tournament field, however — they came in with 25 wins, second most of the 68 teams behind top overall seed Gonzaga, and their tense matchup with a longtime Missouri Valley Conference rival brought some early drama to the pandemic-affected tourney.
Wichita State's Dexter Dennis made a 3-pointer with 8 seconds remaining to trim Drake's lead to a point. The Bulldogs got the ball in to Yesufu, who was fouled.