Dec. 23, 2006

Final Stats |  Notes

EL PASO, Texas (AP) - Ajay Calvin scored 17 points and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds to lead Drake to a 70-52 win over Toledo on Friday night in the Sun Bowl Tournament.

Nick Grant added 10 points and six rebounds for the Bulldogs (8-2).

Drake built a big lead in part because of its rebounding advantage. Six players grabbed at least four rebounds, including Aliou Keita and Jonathan Cox, who each had five. Drake had 44 total rebounds, compared to 26 for the Rockets (4-6).

Senior forward Florentino Valencia led Toledo with 15 points and five rebounds, while senior guard Justin Ingram added 12 points.

The Rockets began the game strong taking an 11-5 lead early on but Drake answered by scoring 14 straight points en route to taking a 40-21 lead at the intermission. The Bulldogs shot 52 percent from the field in the first half and made all eight of their free throws and held a 19-12 advantage on the boards.

"I am very disappointed with our performance tonight," UT Head Coach Stan Joplin said. "Drake really took it to us after we jumped out to an early lead and we never responded. We need to come back with a better effort tomorrow."

The Rockets will face host UTEP in the consolation game on Saturday, Dec. 23 at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Miners dropped a 100-97 decision to Jackson State in the first game tonight.