DES MOINES, Iowa - Tremell Murphy scored the go-ahead basket in overtime, then made two huge defensive plays in the closing seconds to help the Drake University men's basketball team beat No. 22 Loyola 51-50 at the Knapp Center on Sunday and gain a split in their Missouri Valley Conference series.
  
The Bulldogs overcame deficits of nine points in the first half and 10 points in the second to get the game into overtime, then made just enough plays in the extra session to reach 20 victories for the third straight season and eighth time overall. It was Drake's first victory over a ranked team since beating No. 17 Creighton 74-69 on Jan. 23, 2013.
  
"It was a great, hard-fought, gritty win for us today," said Drake head coach Darian DeVries. "Two teams were giving it all they had to come up with a victory. I'm extremely proud of our guys and the way they responded from yesterday and were able to gut one out today."
 
Murphy finished with 17 points on 6-for-9 shooting to lead the Bulldogs, who improved to 20-2 overall and 11-2 in the Missouri Valley Conference. They remain even in the loss column with first-place Loyola (18-4, 13-2), which had the ball with a chance to win it at the end but was thwarted by the Bulldogs' defense.
  
D.J. Wilkins added 11 points for Drake, while Roman Penn had 10 points, five rebounds, five steals and three assists. Darnell Brodie scored nine points, including a key bucket in overtime, and grabbed eight rebounds. Garrett Sturtz did not score, but gave the team 37 solid minutes, grabbed six rebounds, blocked two shots and made two steals.
  
Cameron Krutwig had 11 points and 14 rebounds, including six on the offensive end, for Loyola. Aher Uguak also scored 11 and Lucas Williamson had 10. Drake held the Ramblers to a season low 35.1 percent shooting after they shot 63.8 percent in an 81-54 victory over the Bulldogs on Saturday.
  
In that game, Loyola blew it open after Drake led 34-31 at halftime. This one also was close at the half, Loyola leading 25-22, but the Bulldogs didn't let it get away, even after the Ramblers ran off nine straight points to open a 42-32 lead with 7:44 left.
 
"It's the makeup of our team, they're tough, They're competitive. They're gritty," DeVries said. "They fought for each other today. It could have easily turned into yesterday. They refused to let it."
 
Brodie sank a free throw and Wilkins hit a 3-pointer -- one of just three the team made in 19 attempts -- to stop the run and the Bulldogs clawed their way back with scrambling, hustling defense.
 
"I thought today was a chance to showcase what our team is about," DeVries said. "Yesterday we were disappointed and today we found our identity defensively."
  
Loyola was leading 45-43 when Murphy blocked Williamson's layup. Krutwig tracked down the rebound, but Sturtz stole the ball and Penn drove hard for a basket, crashing to the floor as the ball went in, to tie it at 45 with 1:23 left. That ended the scoring in regulation.
   
The Ramblers had a chance to break the tie after Wilkins missed a 3-point shot, but Penn stole the ball before they could get a shot. But all he had time for was a desperation heave at the buzzer.
  
Loyola took a 48-47 lead in the overtime on Marquise Kennedy's three-point play with 3:09 to go, but that was the last time the Ramblers were ahead. Murphy banked in a turnaround shot to put the Bulldogs up by a point and Brodie tossed in an over-the-shoulder layup on a perfectly executed pick-and-roll with Penn for a 51-48 lead with 2:20 remaining.
  
Branden Norris hit two free throws to cut the lead to one and then the Bulldogs came through on defense after they gave up the ball on a shot clock violation with 14.4 seconds left.
  
First, Brodie stuffed Norris on a layup attempt, the ball going out of bounds to the Ramblers. Then, Murphy blocked Kennedy on a layup and again the Ramblers kept the ball. But Murphy stole it in front of the Loyola bench and was fouled with 1.7 seconds remaining as he hurled the ball toward the Drake basket. He missed both free throws, but all Loyola had left was a desperation throw that bounced high off the backboard and the Bulldogs had the upset.
  
Drake shot just 33.3 percent and was outrebounded 47-29. But with some timely steals and blocks, the Bulldogs survived.
  
The Bulldogs return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 17 at Northern Iowa, a rematch of the game Drake won 80-59 in Des Moines last Wednesday. Drake then plays its final home series, meeting Evansville on Feb. 21 and 22.