Josh Palmer scored 23 points and Kameron Bundy added 17 points – including a pair of free throws in the closing seconds to seal it – as Drury defeated Rockhurst 67-62 in their Great Lakes Valley Conference men's basketball matchup Thursday night at Mason-Halpin Fieldhouse.
Bundy missed two free throws with 19 seconds left, and the Hawks cut their deficit to three on two free throws by Nix. But the Panthers' senior guard stepped to the line and made two at the line with 5.5 seconds left to make it a two-possession game at 67-62, and Rockhurst would get no closer.
Drew Moore added 12 points and eight rebounds for the Panthers (11-5, 6-2), who won for the sixth time in their last seven games and third straight.
It was also the 10th consecutive win for DU over the Hawks, their oldest rival (Drury now leads the all-time series 67-44).
"I'm proud of our guys … they've done a nice job here at Rockhurst … the best crowd they've had since I've been here," Drury coach Steve Hesser said. "Hat's off to Rockhurst, they really competed and played hard. This has been a tough venue for us to come into. But we did some really, really good things in the second half offensively where we trusted each other and got the ball into some great spots.
"Looch (Gamiz) had eight assists, zero turnovers, stepped up and made some big threes and had a steal at the end … this basketball team, at times they do the things that the good teams we've had do. At times, we hurt ourselves. The consistency part is what we need to work on."
The Panthers held a 25-24 lead after a defensive-minded opening half with Rockhurst. Drury eventually opened up a 10-point lead (42-32) early in the second half, but watched the Hawks charge back.
The game was tied at 60 with just over two minutes to play when Bundy nailed a 3-pointer, and Lucciano Gamiz then came up with the play of the game – a steal and subsequent layup that put the Panthers up by five (65-60) with 1:27 to play.
"I thought Bundy tonight showed flashes of his old self," Hesser said. "I'm pleased with that."
Palmer made 10 of 14 shots and finished with 23 points to continue his strong production since just before Christmas, posting his eighth consecutive double-digit scoring effort.
The Panthers shot 53 percent (25 of 47) from the field while limiting the Hawks to 43 percent (21 of 49).
Dominique Washington, the reigning GLVC Player of the Week, scored 19 of his 23 points in the second half to lead the Hawks (9-7, 4-4).
The Panthers will continue the two-game GLVC road swing at William Jewell on Saturday in a 3:15 p.m. tipoff in Liberty, Mo. Drury is back home at The O' next week for matchups against Quincy on Thursday and Truman State on Saturday.
