TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) — Dwayne Lathan scored 15 points and Jake Odum 14 to lead Indiana State to a 61-54 victory against Drake on Wednesday night. Odum had seven rebounds for the Sycamores (14-9, 5-7), who outscored Drake 36-16 in the paint en route to winning their third straight game. Rayvonte Rice scored 17 points and Ben Simons 13 for the Bulldogs (13-10, 6-6), who shot just 33 percent (18 of 54) from the field. Both teams were playing their first games since having to work overtime last weekend. Drake needed three extra periods to outlast Wichita State 93-86 on Saturday night, and Indiana State beat Evansville 90-81 in double overtime on Sunday. Lathan’s layup gave the Sycamores a 53-48 lead with 2:09 remaining. The Bulldogs failed to score on their next two possessions. Indiana State made eight free throws in the last 51 seconds, providing the cushion to withstand late 3-pointers by Rice and Kurt Alexander for Drake.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Born three months premature, Cliff Stokes usually was the smallest kid in his class as a youngster. Then he started growing and now he represents Iowa State’s new focus in recruiting defensive backs, a player with the height needed to take on the tall receivers the Cyclones face in the Big 12 Conference. The 6-foot, 180-pounder out of Trinity Valley Community College in Texas was among the 21 recruits who signed with Iowa State on Wednesday, a group that included five defensive backs. Four of the five defensive backs who signed are at least 6 feet tall, while the other is 5-10. Iowa State often has played cornerbacks who were 5-8 or 5-9. One of the starters last year, Jeremy Reeves, is 5-7.

Iowa State also signed five defensive linemen and place-kicker Cole Netten of Ankeny. Iowa State’s two kickers last season, Grant Mahoney and Zach Guyer were seniors, so the job appears to be Netten’s to lose. Netten went 11-for-14 on field goals last season, including a 47-yarder. One of the defensive backs who signed, Luke Knott of Lee’s Summit, Mo., is the brother of all-Big 12 linebacker Jake Knott, who’ll be a senior in the fall. Another, Damein Lawry of Dallas, played high school football for coach Elize Barnett, whose brother Duke is the father of ISU quarterback Jared Barnett.Rhoads said the 10-year, $20 million contract he signed in mid-December will help in recruiting because it shows stability in the program. He said he can be honest when parents asks if he’ll be at Iowa State until their son graduates. “I never as an assistant coach, a coordinator, a head coach looked them in the eye and told them with absolute certainty, yes,” Rhoads said. “Because chances are, it would be a lie. I think this long-term commitment by the university shows where we’re at in the direction we want to take this program.”

Iowa State’s class is generally ranked near the bottom of the Big 12, but Rhoads shrugged that off. “We’re trying to recruit the right guys that fit our philosophy and our program,” he said. “We’re not caught up in stars or golden apples or whatever they attach to a player.”

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — For the second year in a row, Iowa fans waited for national signing day to hear coach Kirk Ferentz address a topic at least as pressing as his latest recruiting class. This time, Ferentz kept the focus on the 24 newest Hawkeyes. Ferentz on Wednesday refused to get into further details about the departure of star running back Marcus Coker, who was suspended for last month’s Insight Bowl for unspecified misconduct and has since left the program. Ferentz was forced to use last season’s signing day press conference to address concerns over a workout-related illness that sent more than a dozen players to the hospital. He said Wednesday he would discuss non-recruiting topics next week.

With Coker gone, the Hawkeyes signed a pair of running backs who might see playing time as early as next season. Leading the way is Greg Garmon, a 6-1, 200-pounder from Erie, Pa., who was a first-team all-state pick and notched 2,859 career rushing yards and 27 touchdowns. Iowa also landed Cedar Falls running back Barkley Hill, who spurned Iowa State to sign with the Hawkeyes. Garmon and Hill be thrown into a mix that includes returnees Jordan Canzeri, Brad Rogers and De’Andre Johnson as Iowa searches for a combination that can come close to matching the 1,384 rushing yards and 15 TDs Coker put up in 2011. Ferentz also announced that reserve back Jason White will return for his senior season.Though Iowa is set at quarterback next season with returning senior starter James Vandenberg, the depth chart is slim behind him. The Hawkeyes will bring in a pair of quarterbacks next season to compete with redshirt freshman Jake Rudock for the starting job in 2013 and beyond. Cody Sokol is a rare junior college player to sign with Iowa, a sure sign of the urgency the Hawkeyes have this offseason. Sokol, who was born in Des Moines, threw for 3,087 yards and 43 touchdowns at Scottsdale Community College (Arizona) last season.

Iowa also landed Tennessee native C.J. Beathard, who’ll be a true freshman and a likely redshirt candidate. Sokol could also redshirt next season, according to Ferentz. The Hawkeyes struggled along the defensive line last season. They signed a pair of highly touted recruits in end Faith Ekakitie and tackle Jaleel Johnson, both from Illinois high schools. Iowa also ventured into Illinois for offensive tackle Ryan Ward, a 6-5, 275-pounder considered one of the top prospects at the position in the nation. The Hawkeyes loaded up in the secondary with five defensive back signees. They also landed four offensive linemen, four defensive linemen and three wide receivers. Iowa signed more players from Illinois, five, than any other state, and brought in just three in-state players.

The longtime assistant also spent seven seasons in Tampa Bay, where he won a Super Bowl as part of Jon Gruden’s staff. The Buccaneers won three division titles during his time there. Muir was not expected to remain the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator even if he remained on staff. New coach Romeo Crennel has said he hopes to have that position filled sometime after the Super Bowl.