Drake basketball saw a historic week of play, with athletes on both the men’s and women’s teams breaking records and defending the Bulldog game with pride. With five games between the two teams, the overall record for the week was 3-2.
The men’s team started off on Feb. 16 with a 61-59 loss to the Bradley Braves before hosting the University of Illinois-Chicago Flames on Wednesday. Drake took down the Flames 74-57, with a first-time record set midway through the game by junior guard Bennett Stirtz, who had 25 points for the game.
In his first season as a Bulldog, Stirtz became the first basketball player in Drake history to achieve 500 points and 150 assists in a season. He will now work to add himself to the list of players who scored the most points in a single season, joining greats like Larry Bird and Stephan Curry going into the rest of the season, with a possible March Madness post-season run.
This game was a strong showing for the Bulldogs, and Werner Ladder Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year Watch List head coach Ben McCollum acknowledged the impact this game on the team and how the first half had gone better for the team’s game plan.
“Our energy was much better coming out,” McCollum said. “I thought we simplified some things. I thought our kids really owned some of the little mistakes that we’ve been making. We just have to create a level of efficiency, defensively, to make sure that we can be at our best.”
Next up, last Thursday, the women’s team had a big night with a 42-point win over the Southern Illinois University Salukis at home. The team dribbled past its competition with a 42-40 win, scoring some notable achievements for the night.
Graduate Courtney Becker had a double-double night with 11 points and 12 rebounds, while also becoming the 38th person in Drake women’s history to hit 1000 career points. Senior guard Katie Dinnebier led the Bulldogs with 18 points for the game while going seven-for-seven in field goal shooting and three-for-three in free throws.
The women’s team then took on the Missouri State University Lady Bears for the Bulldog’s senior night who led the MVC above the Bulldogs on Drake’s home court. Dinnebier had 33 points for the game which marked her seventh game of the season with over 30 points, making her only the player since 2002 to have seven or more 30-point games. Although the Bulldogs were shooting the ball with ease, the Lady Bears bested the Bulldogs in overtime 82-79. This loss meant a loss on senior day for the team’s four seniors.
“[We] came up just a little bit short,” said head coach Allison Pohlman. “[We] thought we could maybe tire them out a bit, and not for a lack of opportunities. We had plenty of chances to put it away, but this is a tough and scrappy [Missouri State] team and there’s a reason they’re atop the standings. This group will get together and move forward.”
For the senior day, Dinnebier, Becker, Anna Miller and Ashley Liams were all honored in the post-game ceremony.
Lastly, the Drake men’s basketball team took on the University of Northern Iowa Panthers at UNI in a game that would determine the MVC regular-season champion. The Bulldogs had their hands full with the Panthers who put up a fight until the last second. The game ended in a 55-55 overtime, where Drake bested its instate rival 64-58 for a share of the MVC regular season championship. Stirtz had a double-double with 26 points and 10 rebounds while junior Tavion Banks had 17 points off the bench along with nine rebounds. Stirtz sealed the game with a last-minute three-point shot for the win in overtime helping the team and program add another benchmark to the lineup. This game also marked coach McCollum’s 13th season with over 25-wins on the board with it being his first season with 25 wins and his first regular season championship as a newly-DI coach.
The men’s team has their last two games of the season on Feb. 26 against the Evansville Aces at Evansville followed by a game against the Missouri State University Bears in the last game of the season on March 2, at 2 p.m., in the Knapp Center.
The women’s team plays Indiana State University at the Knapp on Feb. 27 at 6 p.m. before traveling to UNI to take on the Panthers on March 1, at 2 p.m. to conclude the Bulldog’s season.
