Drake defeats Belmont 57-50 in Missouri Valley Conference Tournament semifinal
ST. LOUIS -- — Bennett Stirtz, the Missouri Valley Conference player of the year, had 24 points to lead Drake to a 57-50 victory over Belmont on Saturday in a conference tournament semifinal.
Stirtz added five rebounds and four steals for the Bulldogs (29-3), who set a school record for wins in a single season. Top-seeded Drake will play No. 2 seed Bradley or 11th seed Valparaiso in Sunday's final with an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament on the line.
Sam Orme led the Bruins (22-11) with 13 points, six rebounds and two steals.
Stirtz scored 16 points in the second half to help lead Drake rally from a 30-21 deficit at the break.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Game Information
- Referees:
- Jeff Campbell
- Kipp Kissinger
- Ed Crenshaw Jr.
2024-25 Missouri Valley Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drake | 17-3 | - | 29-3 |
| Bradley | 15-5 | 2 | 26-7 |
| Northern Iowa | 14-6 | 3 | 20-12 |
| Belmont | 13-7 | 4 | 22-11 |
| Illinois State | 10-10 | 7 | 19-14 |
| UIC | 10-10 | 7 | 17-14 |
| Murray State | 9-11 | 8 | 16-17 |
| Indiana State | 8-12 | 9 | 14-18 |
| Southern Illinois | 8-12 | 9 | 14-19 |
| Evansville | 8-12 | 9 | 11-21 |
| Valparaiso | 6-14 | 11 | 15-19 |
| Missouri State | 2-18 | 15 | 9-23 |
Men's College Basketball News
