Drake beats Missouri, grabs first NCAA win since 1971
MBB: It's the first NCAA Tournament win for a Missouri Valley team since 2021
Bennett Stirtz scored 21 points to lead #11-seed Drake past #6-seed Missouri in the first round of the NCAA Tournament West Regional in Wichita, Kansas.
The win is Drake’s first in the NCAA Tournament since 1971. It’s the first win for the Missouri Valley Conference since Loyola-Chicago made the Sweet 16 in 2021.
Drake led 30-23 at the half, and saw their lead grow to as big as 43-28 with 12:40 to go. Missouri rallied to get to within one with 4:28 remaining, but the Bulldogs closed the game on a 15-6 run to seal the win.
Stirtz made all three of his three-point attempts, as the Bulldogs finished the game 5-for-10 from beyond the arc. Tavion Banks, who scored 15 points, was the only other Bulldog to score in double-figures.
Drake will play the winner of #3-seed Texas Tech and #14-seed UNC Wilmington in the Round of 32 on Saturday.