Drake steals Southern Utah's thunder in Shootout

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Drake Bulldogs opened the men's portion of the Great Alaska Shootout Wednesday by defeating the Thunderbirds of Southern Utah, 78-59. Drake, based out of Des Moines IA, got 26 points from 6-foot-11 center Seth VanDeest.

Shootout action at Sullivan Arena continues Thursday, with Houston Baptist going up against Arizona State at 5 p.m. The Sun Devils finished second in the Pac-10 conference last season and are the pick of many to win the tournament.

The University of Alaska Anchorage debuts in the Shootout in the 7:30 p.m. contest against Weber State. The Seawolves have won at least one game in 26 of 32 previous Shootouts.

Contact Kevin Wells at kwells@ktuu.com