DES MOINES, Iowa -- — Bennett Stirtz scored 24 points as Drake beat Valparaiso 81-71 on Wednesday night.

Stirtz also contributed nine assists, five rebounds and three steals for the Bulldogs (17-2, 7-2 Missouri Valley Conference). Mitch Mascari shot 7 for 12, including 5 for 9 from beyond the arc to add 21 points. Daniel Abreu shot 2 of 2 from the field and 5 for 6 from the line to finish with 11 points.

The Beacons (10-10, 3-6) were led by Jefferson Monegro, who recorded 16 points. All Wright added 15 points for Valparaiso. Cooper Schwieger had 14 points and six rebounds.

Drake took the lead with 11:59 to go in the first half and led for the remainder. The score was 43-29 at halftime, with Stirtz racking up 12 points. Drake was outscored by Valparaiso in the second half by a four-point margin, but still wound up on top, while Stirtz led the way with a team-high 12 second-half points.

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