ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Guard Bennett Stirtz, the MVC Player of the Year, scored 24 points, including 16 in the second half, to rally top-seeded Drake to a 57-50 victory past No. 4 seed Belmont in the semifinal round of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at the Enterprise Center Saturday.
 
Drake, winning its sixth straight game, improved to 29-3 overall - the most victories in the NCAA this season as well as the most in school history. The Bulldogs won their eighth straight MVC Tournament game dating back to 2023 while advancing to the championship for the sixth time in school history, including the fifth straight year.
 
Drake joined Tulsa (1982-87) as the only teams to advance to the championship game of the MVC Tournament five straight years.
 
Drake's Ben McCollum becomes the 12th coach to advance his team to the MVC Tournament Championship in his first season with an MVC team and the first since Drew Valentine led Loyola to the 2022 title. McCollum also became the winningest first-year coach in Drake history with 29 victories, surpassing Keno Davis, who went 28-5 in his first year at Drake in 2007-08.
 
The Bulldogs overcame their worst shooting performance of the season —38.6 percent — relying on a stingy defense to rally from a 30-21 halftime deficit.
 
Cam Manyawu's rebound basket with 1:42 left broke a 50-50 tie and Drake secured the victory by making five free throws down the stretch while Belmont went scoreless for the last 2:11 of the game.
 
Stirtz opened the second half scoring the first eight points of the half to pull the Bulldogs within 30-29 with 17:24 left. Drake took its first lead of the game at 40-39 following two free throws by freshman Isaia Howard. Drake used another 8-0 run, aided by four Belmont turnovers, to push ahead 44-39 with 8:23 remaining. After leading at the half, Belmont was limited to 20 second-half points and made just 27-percent of its shots (8-of-27). Belmont also struggled from long range in the second half, making just 2-of-12 attempts (.167).
 
Belmont, which had a four-game winning streak snapped, slipped to 22-11. Belmont was making its first appearance in the MVC Tournament semifinal round.
 
Three of Belmont's first four baskets were three-pointers, staking the Bruins to a 12-7 lead en route to mounting a 26-14 lead after a three-point basket by Jonathan Pierre. The 26-14 lead by Belmont matched Drake's largest deficit of the season in a home loss to Murray State Jan. 5. Belmont closed out the half making seven of its last 11 shots (63.6 percent shooting), while Drake had three turnovers in its last five possessions.
 
Drake had 11 steals for the second straight MVC Tournament game; while also marking the 16th game the Bulldogs have had 10-plus steals.
 
Stirtz moved into No. 7 on Drake's single-season scoring list (607 total points), just the fifth Bulldog to reach the 600-point plateau in a season. He added a game-high four steals (seventh time this season with four-plus thefts) to move into a tie for third on the Drake single-season record books at 70, tying Lonnie Randolph (2003-04).
 
Stirtz is just the second player in MVC history to achieve 600 points (607), 180 assists (184) and 70 steals (70) in a season, joining Indiana State's Larry Bird  who had 973 points, 187 assists and 85 steals in 1978-79.
 
Freshman guard Isaia Howard, one day after recording a career-high 21 points, scored nine points. Manyawu had a game-high seven rebounds.
 
TEAM NOTES
—Drake, winning its sixth straight game, improved to 29-3 overall, setting a school record for most wins in a season.
—The Bulldogs won their eighth straight MVC Tournament game dating back to 2023 while advancing to the semifinal round for the seventh straight year dating back to 2019 and 13th time in school history.
—Drake improved its overall MVC Tournament record to 31-43, including a 5-0 record as the No. 1 seed as well as a 6-7 record in the semifinal round.
—Drake's 29 victories are the most wins by an NCAA Division I school this season.
—Drake is 5-0 on neutral courts this season
—Ben McCollum became Drake's winningest first-year coach with 29 wins surpassing Keno Davis who went 28-5 in his first year at Drake in 2007-08.
—First-year Drake head coach Ben McCollum improved his career coaching record to 423-94 ranking No. 5 on the all-time collegiate coaches list in winning percentage (.819).
—McCollum improved his career coaching record to 34-5 in conference tournament play. He has now reached the conference tournament championship 11 times (winning eight) in his 14 previous league tournament appearances.
—Drake improved to 3-1 when trailing at halftime after overcoming a 30-21 halftime deficit.
—There was one lead change and five ties in the game.
—Drake, which is ranked No. 2 in NCAA in scoring defense (59.0 avg.), held Belmont to its second lowest scoring output of the season trailing only the 46 the Bruins scored at Drake Dec. 29
—The Bulldogs shot a season low 38.6 percent (17-44) while also establishing a season low for points in the first half (20) and equaling its largest deficit of the season - 12 points (36-24).
—Drake collected 11 steals for the second straight MVC Tournament game, while also marking the 16th game the Bulldogs had recorded 10-plus steals.
 
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
—Junior guard Bennett Stirtz, the MVC Player of the Year, enjoyed his eighth 20-plus scoring game of the season with a game-high 24 points, including 16 in the second half.
—Stirtz is the only player in the NCAA this season who has collected more than 600 points (607), 180 assists (184) and 70 steals (70).
—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. 7 on Drake's single-season scoring list (607 total points), just the fifth Bulldog to reach the 600-point plateau in a season.
—Stirtz added a game-high four steals—his seventh game this season with four-plus thefts— while moving into a tie for third on the Drake single-season record books at 70, tying Lonnie Randolph (2003-04).
—Freshman reserve forward Isaia Howard scored nine points.
—Sophomore Cam Manawu had a game-high seven rebounds.
 
THE SERIES
—Drake has won five of the last six meetings, including the last three games to own a 5-2 series lead