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WICHITA, Kan. — The Cinderella storyline ends in Wichita for Drake men’s basketball.
Despite their best attempts at a comeback, the 11-seeded Bulldogs fell to 3-seed Texas Tech, 77-64, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.
Drake finished the season with a 31-4 overall record after winning a first-round game in March Madness for the first time since 1971, defeating Missouri on Wednesday.
Bennett Stirtz led the Bulldogs with 21 points.
Scoring runs defined the first half, with nine lead changes and three ties. The Bulldogs charged out of the gate, with Daniel Abreu blocking a pass and collecting a steal on Texas Tech’s first possession. Stirtz picked up Drake’s first points off a floater.
After exchanging scores for the first seven minutes, the Bulldogs strung together seven straight points to take the lead. The Red Raiders responded with six straight points, then added a seven-point streak after Cam Manyawu sank two free throws.
Drake’s largest lead was six points; Texas Tech’s largest lead was seven. The Red Raiders held a 37-30 advantage at halftime.
The Bulldogs limited Texas Tech’s 3-point chances, and the Red Raiders didn’t attempt a shot from behind the line for more than seven minutes. Texas Tech didn’t make a 3-pointer until 10 minutes into the game.
But shutting down those deep shots came at a cost. Drake struggled in the first half to shut down Texas Tech in the paint. Thirty of the Red Raiders’ 37 first-half points were scored from close up, and 34 of those points came from two big men – Darrion Williams (19) and JT Toppin (14).
Drake cut into Texas Tech’s lead off 3-pointers from Stirtz and Abreu and a steal-turned-layup from Stirtz. But momentum quickly shifted in the Red Raiders’ favor.
Head coach Ben McCollum – irate over a no-call when a Tech defender stretched over Tavion Banks to block a shot – received a technical after Stirtz was called for a foul on Texas Tech’s next possession. Elijah Hawkins hit all four of the ensuing free throws and extended the Red Raiders’ lead to nine points.
Even with the extra free throws, the Bulldogs managed to stay in the game. But in the latter half of the second frame, the Red Raiders strung together several scoring bursts that pushed them to a double-digit lead over Drake.
Texas Tech held a 15-point lead with just under two minutes remaining, and it proved too much for the Bulldogs to come back from.
Stirtz cemented his spot on another page of the Drake record book, notching his 200th assist against Texas Tech. He joined Adam Emmenecker − who set the school record with 213 during the 2007-08 season − as the only two players to achieve that mark.
Abreu scored 15 for Drake, joining Stirtz, Kael Combs (13) and Tavion Banks (11) in double figures. Stirtz finished with eight assists. Combs led Drake with five rebounds.
Williams led Tech with 28 points. Toppin finished with 25.
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at [email protected] or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Drake vs Texas Tech in 2025 March Madness: Bulldogs fall in 2nd round
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Despite their best attempts at a comeback, the 11-seeded Bulldogs fell to 3-seed Texas Tech, 77-64, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.
Drake finished the season with a 31-4 overall record after winning a first-round game in March Madness for the first time since 1971, defeating Missouri on Wednesday.
Bennett Stirtz led the Bulldogs with 21 points.
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Scoring runs defined the first half, with nine lead changes and three ties. The Bulldogs charged out of the gate, with Daniel Abreu blocking a pass and collecting a steal on Texas Tech’s first possession. Stirtz picked up Drake’s first points off a floater.
After exchanging scores for the first seven minutes, the Bulldogs strung together seven straight points to take the lead. The Red Raiders responded with six straight points, then added a seven-point streak after Cam Manyawu sank two free throws.
Drake’s largest lead was six points; Texas Tech’s largest lead was seven. The Red Raiders held a 37-30 advantage at halftime.
The Bulldogs limited Texas Tech’s 3-point chances, and the Red Raiders didn’t attempt a shot from behind the line for more than seven minutes. Texas Tech didn’t make a 3-pointer until 10 minutes into the game.
But shutting down those deep shots came at a cost. Drake struggled in the first half to shut down Texas Tech in the paint. Thirty of the Red Raiders’ 37 first-half points were scored from close up, and 34 of those points came from two big men – Darrion Williams (19) and JT Toppin (14).
Drake cut into Texas Tech’s lead off 3-pointers from Stirtz and Abreu and a steal-turned-layup from Stirtz. But momentum quickly shifted in the Red Raiders’ favor.
Head coach Ben McCollum – irate over a no-call when a Tech defender stretched over Tavion Banks to block a shot – received a technical after Stirtz was called for a foul on Texas Tech’s next possession. Elijah Hawkins hit all four of the ensuing free throws and extended the Red Raiders’ lead to nine points.
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Even with the extra free throws, the Bulldogs managed to stay in the game. But in the latter half of the second frame, the Red Raiders strung together several scoring bursts that pushed them to a double-digit lead over Drake.
Texas Tech held a 15-point lead with just under two minutes remaining, and it proved too much for the Bulldogs to come back from.
Stirtz cemented his spot on another page of the Drake record book, notching his 200th assist against Texas Tech. He joined Adam Emmenecker − who set the school record with 213 during the 2007-08 season − as the only two players to achieve that mark.
Abreu scored 15 for Drake, joining Stirtz, Kael Combs (13) and Tavion Banks (11) in double figures. Stirtz finished with eight assists. Combs led Drake with five rebounds.
Williams led Tech with 28 points. Toppin finished with 25.
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at [email protected] or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Drake vs Texas Tech in 2025 March Madness: Bulldogs fall in 2nd round
Continue reading...
