The Drake Bulldogs controlled just about every aspect of the game.
They controlled the tempo, they controlled their offense, they looked more polished, more ready to play and more in control.
And all that together led to a 67-57 win for the West Region’s No. 11 seed against the No. 6-seeded Missouri Tigers in Wichita on Thursday.
“We didn’t do enough to come away with the win,” Missouri coach Dennis Gates said. “... the 50/50 loose balls, we forced them into turnovers, but we just couldn’t corral the basketball and sometimes it’s the balance.”
It was clear from the start Missouri was going to let Drake dictate the game.
The Bulldogs took the lead for good with 13:14 left in the first half when Bennett Stirtz, who ended with 21 points and four assists to lead the game, hit a 3 to create an 8-7 advantage as Missouri started the game 2-of-9 from the field.
“I feel like we just were one dribble late or one second late, you know, on what our plan was to attack them,” Missouri guard Caleb Grill said. “And, you know, they took full advantage of it and looking back on it throughout the season, this reminds us, I mean, reminds me at least of the Texas game. They played a similar style of basketball to them and it frustrated us and credit to them for executing their game plan.”
Drake extended to an 18-12 lead after another Stirtz 3 as he started 4-of-5 from the field and hit his first two attempts from deep.
Missouri cut the lead to 18-16 as Tamar Bates hit his first shot of the game with 6:42 left in the first half.
But Drake responded with a 6-0 run to create a 24-16 lead. The Bulldogs extended as far as a 28-18 lead in the first half before taking a 30-23 lead into halftime.
It was the fewest points the Tigers scored in a half this season.
“They made tough shots and ultimately, that’s what March is about,” Gates said. “Who’s going to make the tougher shots to pull their team ahead? Unfortunately, we’re on the other side of it.”
Drake extended to a 43-28 lead with 12:40 left to play after a Tavion Banks steal-turned-dunk forcing a Missouri timeout, which finally seemed to get the Tigers moving in the right direction.
Bates hit a second-chance layup, then T.O. Barrett hit drove for a layup to cut the lead to 11 with 11:15 left.
The Tigers got back within 10 when Marques Warrick connected on a step-back 3 from the left corner to make it 47-39 with 9:19 left.
Then a Grill 3 made it 52-44 with 7:42 left and Missouri got to the line eight times, making seven, across the next 3:14 to cut the lead all the way to 52-51 with a 10-0 run.
“That was an awesome run,” Gates said. “It was a lot of energy in the building. Again, I’m proud of my guys … that moment, if we could have spread it over the course of a 40-minute game, again, I credit our opponent, but we didn’t impose what we should have imposed.”
But Drake responded with a Stirtz jumper, then Mitch Mascari poked the ball away from the Tigers. A missed jumper allowed the Bulldogs to connect on a layup to create a 56-51 lead, then it became a free-throw game for the final 3:05 as nine of the Bulldogs’ final 11 points came at the stripe and the Tigers missed every opportunity they had the rest of the way.
“That lid was still tight on the rim,” Gates said. “... (Drake) settled back in, we just didn’t execute, meaning we got the shots, we had an opportunity to tie the game. … We just didn’t make enough shots or have enough stops.”
Missouri shot 15-of-45 (33.3 percent) from the field, 4-of-16 (25 percent) from 3 and 23-of-26 (88.5 percent) from the free-throw line, but Drake shot 25-of-46 (54.3 percent) overall, 5-of-10 (50 percent) from deep and 12-of-24 (50 percent) from the stripe.
Drake won the rebounding battle 31-26 and forced 17 Tiger turnovers that resulted in 23 Bulldog points. Missouri forced 15 turnovers, but scored just 13 points on those opportunities.
Drake won the battle for points in the paint 38-22 without having a single player listed as taller than 6-foot-8.
Missouri ends the season with a record of 22-12.
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