ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Drake withstood a furious second half rally by top-seeded Indiana State to capture its second straight State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title 84-80, Sunday afternoon at the Enterprise Center.
No. 2 seed Drake, playing in its fourth straight MVC Tournament championship game under head coach Darian DeVries, advances to its seventh NCAA Tournament appearance with the championship. The Bulldogs are now 28-6 on the season.
Indiana State, the MVC's regular-season champion and tournament top seed, fell to 28-6 on the season. The Sycamores will await their NCAA Tournament future when the announcement comes next Sunday, March 17.
Tucker DeVries, the two-time MVC Player of the Year, scored 27 points and added seven rebounds in the winning effort. He walked away with MVC Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors for the second consecutive year.
DeVries had plenty of support. Darrell Brodie contributed 17 points and a team-high eight rebounds while
Atin Wright added 17 points, as well.
Five Sycamores scored in double figures, paced by Jayson Kent's 22 points and nine rebounds. Isaiah Swope and Robbie Avila added 19 and 15, respectively.
Drake utilized red hot shooting to break up a close game in the first half, using a 22-4 run to go up by as many as 14 in the first half. The run was aided by 15 points and three consecutive three- pointers by Wright.
Facing a 67-49 deficit nine minutes into the second half, Indiana State battled back behind the inside play of Kent and Avila and Swope's outside shooting. The Sycamores outscored Drake 24-5 over the next five minutes to take their first lead of the game since the opening minutes.
With the score tied 76-76, baskets by DeVries and
Conor Enright in the last two minutes gave Drake an 81-76 cushion that they never relinquished. The margin increased to seven points with 15 seconds off before Indiana State's Julian Larry closed the scoring with a jumper at the buzzer.
Drake head coach Darian DeVries earned his 150th victory during a six-year run with the program. He has also guided the Bulldogs to four straight MVC Tournament championship games and has led Drake to a 13-4 record in MVC Tournament play.
NOTES
- Tucker DeVries took home the Doug Elgin Award for Most Outstanding Player in the State Farm MVC Tournament.
- Atin Wright was named to the All-Tournament Team.
- Drake secured its third MVC Tournament title (others in 2023 & 2008) while advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the seventh time. Drake is the 18th No. 2 seed to capture the MVC Tournament title.
- The Bulldogs have qualified for the NCAA Tournament three times in the last four seasons.
- 28 wins this season are the most during the Darian DeVries era, tying Drake's program record for victories in a single season.
- Drake is only the second school to play in the championship of the MVC Tournament four straight years, joining Tulsa which played in six straight championship games from 1982-87.
- Tucker DeVries surpassed 700 points on the season, second on the Drake list only to Lewis Lloyd (815, 1979-80; 762, 1980-81.
- Darnell Brodie surpassed 900 career rebounds and is now only 11 rebounds behind Garrett Sturtz for the program record.
- Drake is 15-0 this season when scoring 40 or more points in the first half.
- Drake's 45 points at halftime tied for the most first half points in MVC Tournament title game history (tying Larry Bird's 1979 Indiana State squad).
- Drake seven made 3-pointers in the first half tied for the most in a first half during the MVC Tournament championship game.
- Drake is 21-1 this season when leading at the half.
- The Bulldogs are 14-1 this season when scoring 80 points or more.
