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Drake beats Bradley to win third straight MVC Tournament crown

Drake won't need to sweat out an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs put the game away with a late 15-2 run to beat Bradley 63-48 in St. Louis to win the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. In his first season as head coach, Ben McCollum inherited a team with one returning player and has led the Bulldogs to a 30-3 record and the Valley regular season and tournament crowns. It was Drake's third straight Valley tournament title. McCollum says Drake's greatest strength is its unselfish nature. After being held to a total of 12 points in the first two meetings with Bradley junior guard Bennett Stirtz finished with 24 points, including five-of-seven from three-point range. The Bulldogs know their name will be called on selection Sunday as the program has clinched a third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament.