In an exciting game that had it all, Bennett Stirtz hit a three with four seconds left to give Drake basketball the win
Kansas State came back from down 20 points, but it wasn’t enough, as Drake remained undefeated with a 73-70 overtime win at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City.
Read below for three takeaways from tonight’s thriller.
Takeaway #1: Bennett Stirtz shows up big when it matters
Stirtz has been the engine behind the Drake train all season long, leading this team both on and off the court. When they needed him tonight, he stepped up in a big way. Stirtz scored eight of the ten points for Drake in the overtime period, including a huge three to give them the win.
Bennett played all 45 minutes in this one, but only fouled once while grabbing three steals. Drake is going to go a long way this season as long as he’s playing, and he showed America just that tonight.
Takeaway #2: Mitch Mascari has a special game from three
What we saw from Mascari today was special, and a big reason why this team was not only able to control the game early on but win. Mascari made EIGHT threes today, the second time this season he has done so, and did it on just eight shots. He shot 6-6 from deep in the first half and had all of Drake’s three in this game until that game-winner by Stirtz.
Kansas State truly had no answers for him, and it allowed his teammates to get opportunities because of the increased focus on Mascari. He doesn’t need to hit eight every game, but his three-point shooting volume and efficiency will give this Drake basketball team a high chance to win every game they play in. If you’re a college basketball fan, Mascari has made Drake a must-watch every night in hopes we’ll see a performance like this again.
Takeaway #3: Free throws are the difference maker for the two teams
Free throws are always important, and while it won’t always determine the outcome, it played a big part in tonight’s result. Drake shot 16-22 from the line, while Kansas State was just 11-20. This was especially an issue in overtime when Coleman Hawkins shot 2-6 from the line. Hawkins made up for it with the big three to tie it, but having those free throws could have been a big difference-maker in the end result.
Kansas State has struggled all season and ranked 232nd in free throw percentage, and they’ll need to improve that before Big 12 play when a couple of makes can be the difference between a win and loss on any given night.
Next up for Drake Basketball (10-0): vs. Green Bay (2-10) – Dec 21 at 5 p.m. (CT)
Next up for Kansas State Basketball (6-4): vs. Wichita State (8-3) – Dec. 21 at 6 p.m. (CT)