ST. LOUIS (Interstat) — Rashund Washington Jr. scored 23 points and Illinois-Chicago used a decisive first-half surge to pull away from Drake, securing a 72-51 victory in a Missouri Valley Conference men’s basketball game Saturday at Enterprise Center.

The Flames, who swept the regular-season series from the Bulldogs, improved to 19-14 overall. Drake concluded its season at 14-20.

Illinois-Chicago seized control with a 15-2 run over a critical five-minute span late in the first half. Leading 23-21 after a Jalen Quinn layup for Drake with 7:16 remaining, the Flames clamped down defensively. Drake managed just one field goal, a 3-pointer from Okku Federiko, over the next nine possessions, which included four turnovers and several contested misses.

During that stretch, Illinois-Chicago’s offense found its rhythm. Andy Johnson hit a 3-pointer, Abdul Momoh finished a dunk off a feed from Mekhi Lowery, and Washington converted a three-point play. When Elijah Crawford found Momoh for another dunk just before the halftime buzzer, the Flames had built a 34-27 lead, a margin they would not relinquish.

The Bulldogs, who shot poorly throughout the contest, could not mount a challenge after the break. Their offensive struggles were encapsulated in a sequence early in the second half where they missed six consecutive shot attempts over four minutes, allowing Illinois-Chicago to extend its lead to 46-34. Drake never drew closer than nine points the rest of the way.

Washington, a 6-foot-5 guard from Dublin, Georgia, was the catalyst, scoring efficiently inside and drawing fouls. He added a block in 30 minutes of action. He was supported ably by backcourt mates Lowery and Crawford. Lowery, a 6-foot-7 guard from Bellwood, Illinois, filled the stat sheet with 12 points, five assists and relentless defensive activity, while Crawford, from Augusta, Georgia, also scored 12 points and dished out three assists.

For Drake, guards Quinn and Owen Larson shouldered the offensive load but lacked consistent support. Quinn, a junior from Tuscola, Illinois, led the Bulldogs with 14 points. Larson, the Estherville, Iowa native, played all 40 minutes and contributed 12 points and five assists, but the team’s overall shooting woes proved insurmountable.

The Flames’ defensive pressure was a constant theme, forcing 15 Drake turnovers and converting them into 19 points. Illinois-Chicago also dominated in the paint, outscoring Drake 42-24, with Washington and Momoh providing consistent interior offense.

The game was a stark contrast to Drake’s previous outing, a 100-point offensive explosion in a win over Belmont just one day earlier. The Bulldogs’ offense never found a similar flow against the Flames’ disciplined defense.

Illinois-Chicago, which entered the game with a 54.6 percent probability to win according to Interstat’s ELO system, executed its game plan effectively. The Flames methodically built their lead in the first half and then stifled any attempt at a Drake rally in the second, holding the Bulldogs to just 24 points after halftime.

The victory provides momentum for Illinois-Chicago as it moves forward in the conference postseason. For Drake, the loss concludes a challenging season marked by offensive inconsistency, as evidenced by the team’s inability to reach the over/under line of 144.5 points, with the total scoring output finishing at 123.

The most important part of the game was Illinois-Chicago’s transformative 15-2 run to close the first half. It turned a narrow, two-point contest into a seven-point halftime lead that felt much larger given Drake’s offensive difficulties. That surge established a tone of defensive control and offensive efficiency that the Flames maintained throughout the second half, effectively deciding the contest long before the final buzzer.