ST. LOUIS, MO. — Junior guard Bennett Stirtz, the Larry Bird Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year, added another honor to his resume being named the Doug Elgin Most Outstanding Tournament Player by scoring 24 points to propel top-seeded Drake to its third straight State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship with a 63-48 victory past No. 2 seed Bradley at the Enterprise Center.

All-Tournament Team
Bennett Stirtz, Drake (Doug Elgin Award – Most Outstanding Player)
Tavion Banks, Drake
Duke Deen, Bradley
Darius Hannah, Bradley
All Wright, Valparaiso

Elite 18 Winner:  Cam Manyawu

Drake joined Southern Illinois (1993-94-95) as the only schools to win three straight MVC Tournament titles with nine straight tourney wins. Drake captured their fourth MVC Tournament title, while advancing to the NCAA Tournament for eighth time, including third straight year. Ben McCollum became the ninth first-year MVC basketball coach to win in his first appearance at the MVC Tournament.

Drake, winning its seventh straight game, improved to 30-3 overall – the most victories in a season in school history. The Bulldogs won their ninth straight MVC Tournament game dating back to 2023 while advancing to the championship for sixth time in school history, including fifth straight year.

This marked the second time Drake has swept the MVC regular season title and post-season tournament in the same year, first achieving the feat in 2008.

Drake, which is ranked No. 2 in NCAA in scoring defense (59.0 avg.), held Bradley to a season-low 48 points, while also outrebounding Bradley, 32-19.

Stirtz matched a season high with five three-point baskets and moved into a tie with Tucker DeVries (2022-23) for No. 6 on the Drake single-season scoring list at 631. Junior Tavion Banks, the MVC Sixth Man of the Year, scored 13 points with Drake improving to 17-0 when he scored in double figures.

Stirtz is the only player in the NCAA this season who has collected more than 600 points (631), 180 assists (188) and 70 steals (71). 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. Stirtz moved into No. 3 on the Drake single-season assists list, at 188, passing Roman Penn (2022-23, 186). Grad Mitch Mascari had four steals, his third game with four or more.

Drake opened the second half with a quick bucket, extending their lead to 33-27 – the largest advantage by either team to that point. Dating back to the first half, the Bulldogs’ 13-0 run kept Bradley scoreless for over eight minutes until a Darius Hannah layup at the 15:20 mark. The Braves, who had been shooting 63% before their drought, struggled in the second half, managing just 27.8% shooting on 5-of-18 from the field. Drake stretched its lead to 42-31 after an Isaiah Jackson three-pointer, but Bradley fought back to within five at 46-41 following a three-point field goal from Duke Deen.

A dominant 15-2 Bulldogs run, led by Stirtz, put the game out of reach at 61-43. Drake controlled the boards, out rebounding Bradley 19-8 in the second half.

Bradley, having its five-game winning streak snapped, slipped to 26-8 on the season. Hannah scored 19 points to lead Bradley, while senior guard Duke Deen added eight points to go with a game-high five assists.

Bradley set the tone early, dominating the paint by scoring their first 12 points inside and 16 of their first 18 overall. The Braves hit their first six shots, but Drake responded with a 9-2 run, highlighted by two Stirtz three-pointers, giving the Bulldogs a 15-12 lead at the 11:29 media timeout. Bradley answered with a 7-0 surge to reclaim the lead at 19-15, but Drake countered with their own 7-0 run to go up 22-19 at the 6:30 mark. In a back-and-forth half featuring six ties and five lead changes, Drake closed on a 7-0 run while holding Bradley scoreless over the final 4:02. The Bulldogs took a 31-27 lead into halftime, with Stirtz leading all scorers with 12 points, while Darius Hannah paced Bradley with nine.