CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – It was another edition of the in-state rivalry between the Drake Bulldogs and the UNI Panthers on Sunday afternoon with the top two teams in the Missouri Valley Conference squaring off from the McLeod Center. It took an extra five minutes, but the Bulldogs came out of Cedar Falls claiming at least a share of the MVC regular season title with a.64-58 victory in overtime.
 
The Bulldogs and Panthers traded buckets through the early minutes of the contest before UNI went on a 7-0 spurt to gain a slight edge on the scoreboard. That run was brought to an end, however, with Bennett Stirtz rising for a three-point jumper from the wing putting the Panther lead at two, 9-7.
 
Following an extended offensive drought from both sides, the Bulldogs pulled ahead with Stirtz mainly doing the damage. Another pull-up three-ball from the junior went through the bottom the net at the 8:03 mark to give Drake a six-point cushion, 17-11.
 
Drake's defense continued to pester the UNI offense forcing a number of missed shots by the Panthers. On the other end, the Bulldogs crashed the offensive glass leading to second chance points. Following an offensive board and kickout from Cam Manyawu, Mitch Mascari drained a deep trey to set the score at 22-14 with just over five minutes remaining in the half.
 
As the half came to a close, UNI pulled within three of the Bulldogs by getting to the charity stripe. The Panthers went 10-for-11 from the free throw line compared to just 2-for-4 for the Bulldogs to make it a 30-27 game at the break.
 
Stirtz led all scorers over the first 20 minutes with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field to go along with four rebounds. Tytan Anderson was the lone Panther in double figures through the first half with 11 points.
 
Northen Iowa went to its inside game to start the second half and cut the Drake lead down to one with back-to-back scores from Jacob Hutson and Ben Schweiger, but the Bulldogs had an answer to increase their lead back to eight. Four points from Tavion Banks and another three-pointer from Stirtz set the score at 41-33.
 
A stretch of over three minutes where the Bulldogs made just one shot from the field allowed UNI to make a run and retake the lead. At the 8:49 mark, Schwieger put the Panthers ahead by one, 46-45, off a fast break dunk.
 
The lead switched back-and-forth over the next four minutes of play with baskets coming at a premium. It was the Panthers, however, holding on to a one-point advantage, 50-49, after a lay-in by Trey Campbell.
 
With the game tied at 51-51, Banks came through with a big offensive rebound and putback giving the Bulldogs the edge with just over a minute remaining.
 
The following possession, UNI retook the lead from Drake. After a Bulldog turnover, Campbell connected on a three-ball to put the Panthers up by two with the clock showing :21 seconds.
 
In a last chance effort from the Bulldogs, Mitch Mascari received a kickout pass after another offensive rebound and hoisted up a shot from long range. Mascari was ultimately fouled on the play giving him three free throws with a tenth of a second remaining. He went on two make two of the three attempts and forced overtime with the score knotted at 55-55.
 
In overtime, UNI scored first but proceeded to make only one more free throw in the period. A Daniel Abreu jumper in the paint put the Bulldogs ahead by two followed by a pair of free throws from Mascari. The finishing blow came with 16 seconds on Stirtz's fifth three-ball of the game just as the shot clock expired.
 
Stirtz ended the game with 26 points and 10 rebounds, which marked his third double-double of the season. Banks provided 17 points off the bench and pulled down nine rebounds, seven of which were offensive. Manyawu secured a game-high 11 boards for the Bulldogs.
 
"First off, I thought UNI was fantastic," Drake head coach Ben McCollum said. "Secondly, the crowd was awesome which made it a fun college environment. I think for us, it's about how we built the program. We've got talented players, we really do. That wasn't we were searching for. We were searching for the right mental makeup that can win games like this. I'm just really proud of our guys and their toughness, their energy, and their effort they showed today."
 
Drake travels to Evansville for its next game on Wednesday, Feb. 26. Tipoff against the Purple Aces is slated for 7:00 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
TEAM NOTES
—Drake improved to 25-3 overall, marking the fifth straight year the Bulldogs have won 25 or more games in a season and seventh time in school history
—Drake's 25-3 record is tied for best mark in school history after 28 games with the 2020-21 team which also started off with a 25-3 record.
—Drake clinched at least a share of the MVC regular season title, marking the ninth time in program history the Bulldogs have either won or tied for the MVC regular season championship, including four outright titles.
—The last time Drake either won or tied for the MVC regular season crown occurred during the 2018-19 season under then first-year coach Darian DeVries when the Bulldogs were co-champions with a 12-6 league record.
—It is the second time in school history Drake has clinched a share of the MVC regular season title while playing at the McLeod Center after earning a 65-55 road victory at UNI Feb. 16, 2008, to earn a share of the 2007-08 MVC title.
—Drake improved to 4-0 in overtime games this season, including a 3-0 mark on the road.
—Ben McCollum has moved into second on the list of first-year coaching wins at Drake at 25, passing Darin DeVries who 24 wins in his first year as Drake coach in 2018-19.
—The Bulldogs maintained first place in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 15-3 record, marking the fifth time in school history with 15 or more conference wins, including third straight season
—Drake is 9-1 on the road this season, including an 8-1 league road mark.
—First-year Drake head coach Ben McCollum improved his career coaching record to 419-94 ranking No. 5 on the all-time collegiate coaches list in winning percentage (.817)
—Drake improved to 22-1 when leading at halftime after owning a 30-27 intermission lead against UNI
—Drake outrebounded UNI, 46-29, to improve to 21-1 when outrebounding opponents.
—Drake grabbed 16 offensive rebounds, marking the 17th game the Bulldogs had collected 10-plus offensive rebounds in a game.
—Drake's bench outscored UNI's reserves, 19-1
—There were 11 lead changes and nine ties in the game.
 
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
—Junior guard Bennett Stirtz scored a game-high 26 points, including 17 in the first half, along with a career-high 10 rebounds.
—It marked the third double-double of the season for Stirtz — all away from the Knapp Center
—He also made a game-high and season-high five three-point baskets, marking the ninth time he has made three or more three-point baskets in a game this season.
—It marked the 15th 20-plus scoring game (28th in career) by Stirtz this season, including the seventh in the last eight games.
—Stirtz moved from No. 21 up to No. 14 on the Drake single-season scoring list with 531 points passing the following players: No. 14 Ken Harris 1976-77, 527 points...No. 15 Wayne Kreklow, 1978-79, 526 points… No, 16. Jeff Haliburton 1970-71...No. 17, 518, Ajay Calvin (2006-07) and Luke McDonald (2001-02) …No. 19, 514 Richard Carter (2013-14)....No. 20 509 Josh Young (2008-09)
—Junior Tavion Banks came off the bench scoring 17 points, including 13 in the second half. He tallied just four points in the previous game against UNI, missing three shots.
—Drake is 14-0 when Banks scores in double figures.
—Banks added nine rebounds
—Sophopmore Cam Manyawu grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds—his ninth double-figure rebounding game of the season.
—Graduate Mitch Mascari made one three-point basket, moving into a tie for No. 9 on the Drake single-season three-point basket made list at 82, with Bradly Ellingson who had 82 treys during the 2018-19 campaign.
 
THE SERIES
—Drake beat UNI for the ninth time in the last 11 meetings.
—The Bulldogs have won four of their last five trips to the McLeod Center dating back to Feb. 17, 2021.
—UNI leads the overall series 52-36, including a 31-9 mark in games played in Cedar Falls.