MOLINE, Ill. – Drake dialed it in from long distance and remained unbeaten against state rival Northern Iowa in the Missouri Valley Conference women’s basketball tournament.

   The top-seeded Bulldogs had to work an extra 5 minutes to get it done, but they didn’t mind because their 92-83 overtime victory over the fourth-seeded Panthers on Saturday sent the defending champions back to the title game.

   Drake (28-5), which tied the school record for victories, won its 13^th straight and will go for its ninth MVC tournament championship at 1 p.m. on ESPN2.

  Taylor McAulay sparked Drake to a fast start and the Bulldogs dominated the overtime after Northern Iowa (16-15) rallied from a 10-point deficit to force the extra session.

  McAuly scored 12 of Drake’s first 18 points and finished with 22 to lead the Bulldogs, who put up 49 3-point shots – a school record and the most in MVC tournament history – and made 16, the second most in a Valley tournament game. The 49 attempts were the third highest in NCAA play this season.

  Three other Drake players compiled double-doubles, with Anna Miller doing for the eighth time in the last nine games and the 17th time this season with 15 points and 17 rebounds. She also was a force defensively, blocking five shots, forcing misses on several others and making a steal. Miller kept numerous possessions alive with eight offensive rebounds, helping Drake to a 25-5 bulge in second-chance points.

  Grace Berg scored 14 of her 17 points after halftime and grabbed 11 rebounds for her second double-double of the season. Katie Dinnebier achieved her fourth with 15 points and 10 assists plus three steals. Courtney Becker matched her season high with 12 rebounds and scored seven points for the Bulldogs, who improved to 6-0 against UNI in MVC tournament play.

   McAulay and Berg each made four 3-pointers and Dinnebier knocked down three. The Bulldogs got an early lift in that area from freshman Shannon Fornshell, who hit back-to-back first-quarter treys to help Drake build an early lead.

  Super-quick guard Maya McDermott was sensational for Northern Iowa, scoring 33 points on a variety of drives, pull-up jumpers and five 3-pointers. She did all of that after going scoreless in the first quarter.

  Grace Boffeli recovered from early foul trouble to put up 16 points and 13 rebounds for her 12^th double-double in 25 games. Kayba Laube knocked down four more 3-pointers and ended up with14 points. She finished 9-for-12 from distance in her two tournament games.

   Trailing most of the way, Northern Iowa finally hit its stride in the fourth quarter behind McDermott, who scored 11 points in the period.

   Her final 3 gave UNI a 73-72 lead with 4:19 left in regulation and that remained the only basket until Dinnebier, the MVC Player of the Year, knocked down a trey from the right wing with 1:19 remaining to put Drake up 75-73.

    Boffeli tied it with two free throws and the Panthers had two chances at the end, but Ava Hawthorne blocked Taryn Wharton’s driving shot and Dinnebier stole the ball just before the buzzer.

  Hawthorne fed Dinnebier for a layup to start the overtime – Drake’s first basket in the paint since late in the third quarter – and the Bulldogs ran off nine straight points to finally take control, hiking the lead to 84-75. After two Dinnebier free throws, Miller finished things off, sinking two foul shots and getting free for two layups.

  Drake is in the title game for the 17^th time and will try to become the first to win consecutive championships since the Bulldogs did it in 2017 and ’18.