WICHITA, Kan. – The No. 11 seed Drake Bulldogs battled past and upset the No. 6 seed Missouri Tigers, 67-57, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night from INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas. It marked the first win in the NCAA Tournament for Drake since beating Wichita State, 55-52, in the 2021 First Four game.
Despite a physical first half, the Drake Bulldogs prevailed, adjusted, and led at the break 30-23 over the Tigers. Ben McCollum's squad came out shooting just 1-4 from the floor and turned over the ball five times in the game's first five minutes.
But while the offense struggled to find a rhythm the defense elevated. Drake forced nine Tiger turnovers which led to 13 points for the underdog Bulldogs. With the active hands of Mitch Mascari and company the offense came alive, thriving off the momentum gained by the aggressive nature of McCollum's defensive attack.
Led by Junior guard Bennett Stirtz's 14 points on 5-8 shooting, the Bulldogs quickly changed their shooting percentages from 1-5 to 12-23 at the first half buzzer. Marking the 22nd game Drake has shot 50 percent or better in the first half.
Helping Stirtz on the box score was five points from freshman Isaia Howard who showcased his athleticism with a powerful fast break dunk over Missouri defender T.O. Barrett to put Drake up 26-18 for its largest lead of the half.
Drake ended the half on a 12-7 run and held Missouri to their lowest point total at halftime this season.
Coming back from the second half, the Bulldogs lead 37-28 over the Tigers at the under-16 timeout. Drake opened the half shooting 3-5 from the field while Missouri went 0-3 with all of their five points coming from the free throw line.
Riding a 9-2 run, a Tavion Banks steal and dunk put Drake up 42-28 before Missouri hit their first shot of the half with 12:14 to go.
The Tigers then found a rhythm on a 16-9 run to close the Bulldog lead to eight, 52-44.
Missouri eventually cut the Drake lead down to two, which forced the Bulldogs to call a timeout with 4:50 left. The Tigers mainly did their damage from the charity stripe hitting 20-of-22 at that point in the game.
The resilient Bulldogs answered with a 6-0 spurt of their own, however, getting their lead back to seven with 2:47 left on the clock. The dagger in the game came with just under a minute remaining off a Banks alley-oop from Stirtz. Free throws carried Drake to the finish line securing the win.
The Bulldogs will play No. 3 Texas Tech in the Round of 32.
TEAM NOTES
—The Bulldogs, appearing in the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time, improved its NCAA Tournament record to 7-7 claiming its first victory in March Madness since beating Wichita State, 55-52, in the 2021 First Four game.
—Drake, winning its eighth straight game, improved to a school-record 31-3 overall,
—This marks the first time Drake has advanced beyond the first round since playing in the 1971 NCAA Midwest Regional final when it lost to Kansas, 87-78, in Wichita.
—Drake improved its record to 2-0 as a No. 11 seed as well as a 2-1 mark in NCAA Tournament games played in Wichita
—Drake's 31 victories are tied with Duke and Houston for the most wins by an NCAA Division I school this season.
—This marked Drake's third straight win against an SEC team, including the second this season after beating Vanderbilt, 81-70, in the championship of the Charleston Classic Nov. 24. Drake also beat Mississippi State, 58-52, in Lincoln, Neb., Dec. 20, 2022
—Drake has now won 20 games by double figures this season
—Drake is 7-0 on neutral courts this season
—Ben McCollum, Drake's winningest first-year coach with 31 wins, improved his career coaching record to 425-94 ranking No. 5 on the all-time collegiate coaches list in winning percentage (.820).
—McCollum compiled a NCAA Division II tournament record of 32-7, winning 20 of his last 22 NCAA Tournament games
—Missouri Valley Conference teams are 13-4 in their first game in the NCAA Tournament, dating back to 2012
—MVC Teams are 10-6 all-time in the NCAA Tournament against SEC schools
—Drake improved to 27-1 when leading at halftime after owning a 30-23 halftime lead.
—Drake shot 54.3 percent (25-46) from the floor marking the 14th time shooting 50 percent or better. Drake also ended a streak of eight straight games shooting below 50 percent
—Drake shot 52.2 percent (12-23) in the first half against Missouri, marking the 22nd game this season the Bulldogs shot 50 percent or better in the first half.
—Drake outrebounded Missouri, 31-26, improving to 25-1 when outrebounding opponents
—Drake recorded 13 steals, marking the 17th time the Bulldogs have collected 10 or more steals in a game including the third time in the last four outings.
—Drake, which leads the NCAA in scoring defense (58.4 avg.), held Missouri to 57 points-its second lowest point total of the season.
—Drake's bench outscored Missouri's reserves, 26-14
—There were four lead changes and two ties in the game.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
—Junior guard Bennett Stirtz, the MVC Player of the Year, enjoyed his 19th 20-plus scoring game of the season with a game-high 21 points, including 14 in the first half.
—Stirtz has scored in double figures in 32 of 34 games, scoring 20-plus points in 11 of his last 14 games.
—Stirtz is the only player in the NCAA this season who has collected more than 600 points (652), 190 assists (192) and 70 steals (72).
—Stirtz is also just the second player in MVC history to achieve 600 points, 180 assists and 70 steals in a season, joining Indiana State's Larry Bird who had 973 points, 187 assists and 85 steals in 1978-79.
—Junior Tavion Banks came off the bench scoring 15 points, while collecting a game-high nine rebounds.
—Graduate Mitch Mascari collected a game-high four steals—his third game with four or more steals.
—Sophomore Cam Manyawu and Banks each collected three steals. It marked Manyawu's fifth game this season with three or more steals, while it was Banks' second game with three or more steals.
—Stirtz moved into No. 5 on Drake's single-season scoring list at 652, passing Willie McCarter (1968-69. 633 points)
—Stirtz also moved into No. 2 on Drake's single season assist charts with 192 assists, passing Roman Penn (2019-20, 189 assists).
—Mascari made one three-point basket, moving into tie for No. 4 with Tucker DeVries (2023-24) for single-season three-point baskets at 87.
—Drake improved to 18-0 when Banks scores in double figures
-Stirtz ranks No. 3 on single season steals list at 71 and needs two to move into No. 2 passing William Celestin (1993-94, 72) and four to tie Curt Smith (1992-93) who had 75
THE SERIES
—This marked the first time these schools played since Missouri escaped with a 76-74 win in Des Moines Dec. 8, 1987.
—Drake snapped a four-game losing streak to Missouri but still trails in the series, 25-8.