Stirtz scores 25 as Drake knocks off Illinois State 84-77

NORMAL, Ill. (AP) — Bennett Stirtz scored 25 points as Drake beat Illinois State 84-77 on Wednesday night for their 11th straight win.

Stirtz also added seven rebounds and six assists for the Bulldogs (23-2, 13-2 Missouri Valley Conference). Mitch Mascari scored 18 points while shooting 6 for 11, including 5 for 10 from beyond the arc. Kael Combs shot 5 of 6 from the field and 3 of 3 from the free-throw line to finish with 13 points.

The Redbirds (15-11, 7-8) were led in scoring by Chase Walker, who finished with 25 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Johnny Kinziger added 22 points and two steals for Illinois State. Ty Pence had 10 points.

Drake took the lead with 8:54 to go in the first half and did not relinquish it. The score was 40-32 at halftime, with Stirtz racking up 11 points. Drake used a 7-0 run in the second half to build a 14-point lead at 54-40 with 11:35 left in the half before finishing off the win.

Drake’s next game is Sunday against Bradley at home. Illinois State visits Indiana State on Saturday.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.