In a result that will be replayed on highlight reels for years, the ninth-seeded Drake Bulldogs authored one of the most resounding upsets in Missouri Valley Conference Tournament history, dismantling top-seeded Belmont 100-79 on Friday afternoon to keep their unprecedented postseason run alive.
The victory extended Drake’s MVC Tournament winning streak to 11 consecutive games — the longest such streak ever recorded by any school in league history. It also marked only the second time in tournament annals that a No. 1 seed has fallen in the quarterfinal round. (The other? Ironically, it was Drake itself — as the No. 8 seed — upsetting then-top seed UNI, 77-56, back in 2020.)
For the Bulldogs, this was uncharted territory: never before had a No. 9 seed won two games in the MVC Tournament and advanced to the semifinals. Drake improved to 6-4 all-time as a ninth seed and reached the Final Four of the league tournament for the eighth straight year dating to 2019.
First-year head coach Eric Henderson now has his team at 14-19 overall, but the résumé is rapidly filling with signature moments. The Bulldogs shot a blistering 59.6 percent (31-of-52) from the floor — their highest mark in nine games — and connected on 11 threes while racking up 21 assists, their fourth 20-assist performance of the season. The ball movement was surgical; the execution clinical.
Senior transfer Jalen Quinn delivered a masterclass, pouring in a game-high 31 points — his 18th 20-point outing of the year — and going a career-best 13-for-16 from the free-throw line. The performance vaulted him to No. 6 on Drake’s single-season scoring list (624 points) and etched his name alongside program legends Lewis Lloyd and Red Murrell as one of only three players in school history to score 30+ points five times in a single season.
Sophomore guard Owen Larson matched the moment with a career night: 25 points, a team-high eight rebounds and a career-best eight assists. He drained four threes — tying his personal high — and combined with Quinn for 25 first-half points and another 31 after the break.
Jaehshon Thomas provided the second-half ignition, scoring 13 of his 13 points after intermission, while Eli Shetlar chipped in 12 points and matched a career high with three steals.
Belmont (26-6) came out firing from deep, attempting a tournament-record 37 threes and making 14 — just two shy of the all-time MVC Tournament mark. But volume couldn’t compensate for Drake’s suffocating efficiency and relentless pressure. The Bruins suffered their worst loss of the season by 21 points, allowed 100 points for the first time all year and managed only one steal — a season low.
Redshirt senior Aidan Noyes led Belmont with a career-high 19 points on five made threes. Redshirt sophomore Sam Orme added 18 points with four triples, and graduate guard Tyler Lundblade reached the 500-point plateau for the season with 11 points, though he managed just two after halftime.
The opening 20 minutes featured 11 lead changes and three ties. Belmont held a 35-34 edge when Drake lost Andrew Ali to a foot injury, but the Bulldogs answered with a 14-6 closing run — capped by five late points from Shetlar — to take a 48-41 halftime lead. Both teams drained eight threes in the first half; Drake assisted on 15 of its 18 made field goals, its highest assist total in the last seven games.
The second half belonged entirely to the Bulldogs. A 3:40 stretch of six consecutive makes ballooned a 50-44 advantage into a 64-48 lead, with Larson and Thomas each scoring twice during the decisive spurt. Belmont never got closer than 14 the rest of the way. Drake’s largest lead reached 22 points on a pair of Quinn free throws (98-76) before the final margin settled at 21.
In a tournament that has seen its share of chaos, this was a statement: the underdog Bulldogs are not merely surviving Arch Madness — they are thriving in it. Drake’s historic streak lives on, and the road to the championship just got a lot more interesting.
