Primarily a collection of news links about all 12 Missouri Valley League teams on a daily basis, culled from online newspapers, school athletic websites, the conference website, and school newspapers, plus some other content from time to time.
Stirtz has been the driver of a 30-win Drake squad that
plays with the slowest tempo in the country. Despite that, the junior
guard averages 19.1 points, 5.7 assists and 2.2 steals while playing a
nation-leading 98.7% of his team’s minutes this season.
Drake’s offense has almost exclusively run through Stirtz
this season, and it might be a safe assumption to say that this Drake
team doesn’t even finish top five in the Missouri Valley
without him due to the sheer value that he brings to the roster. With an
average possession length of 22 seconds, the Bulldogs go to the
Liberty, Mo., native to make shots at the end of the shot clock, where
he connects on 49.3% of them.
All the advanced stats do not lie. Stirtz is a problem in
the way he manages the unique play-style of the MVC champions, and he
will be a difficult out to a beat-up Missouri squad.
Drake continues one of the nation’s longest win streaks
with its eighth consecutive victory in what’s been a storybook season
for former Division-II head coach Ben McCollum and his Bulldogs. It
started with Drake running out to an early lead, 13-7 with 11:05 left in
the first half as Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year Bennett
Stirtz poured in nine points in the opening nine minutes.
Though Missouri managed a 5-0 run late into the first
half, Drake’s Tavion Banks had the last say with a crafty layup that
held the Bulldogs ahead 30-23 heading into the locker rooms. After
allowing the Tigers to get to the free throw line early into the second
half, Drake settled back in and saw a 9-0 run with 12:40 remaining for a
double-digit lead of 43-28.
Missouri wasn’t finished yet however, limiting Drake and
navigating a 10-0 stretch just before the under four media timeout of
the second half to make it a one possession game late. Despite the
Tigers cutting it close, Drake throttled to the finish from there and
eventually saw out the win at the free throw line.
Stirtz’s 21 points led all scorers with Banks coming in
clutch late and finishing with 15 points, nine rebounds, three steals
and three blocked shots to hold off Missouri. Despite bringing a roster
loaded with former Division II talent, it’s Drake booking a spot in the
Round of 32 where the Bulldogs will meet No. 3 Texas Tech.
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