Drake and Northern Iowa went head-to-head Sunday at the McLeod Center with the top spot in the conference on the line. A Bulldogs win would guarantee a share of the Valley’s regular-season title; a Panthers win would mean a two-way tie for first place.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — Bennett Stirtz scored five of his 26 points in overtime to lead Drake to a 64-58 victory over Northern Iowa on Sunday. Tytan Anderson had a basket for Northern Iowa to begin the extra period. Stirtz followed with a layup to tie it and his 3-pointer with 16 seconds left set the final margin.

Bennett Stirtz had a 26-point and 10-rebound double-double performance to lift Drake over its rival Northern Iowa 64-58 in an overtime instant classic on Sunday. The win gives Drake at least a share of the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title for the first time since 2019.