MURRAY, Ky. -- — Bennett Stirtz's 23 points helped Drake defeat Murray State 55-45 on Tuesday night and extend its winning streak to nine games.

Stirtz shot 9 of 16 from the field, including 1 for 3 from 3-point range, and went 4 for 4 from the line for the Bulldogs (21-2, 11-2 Missouri Valley Conference). Tavion Banks added 16 points while going 7 of 10 and 2 of 3 from the free-throw line while they also had five rebounds. Kael Combs went 2 of 4 from the field to finish with six points.

Nick Ellington finished with 10 points for the Racers (11-13, 5-8). Murray State also got 10 points from Kylen Milton. AJ Ferguson also recorded eight points.

Drake took the lead with 15:42 remaining in the first half and did not give it up. Banks led their team in scoring with 12 points in the first half to help put them ahead 32-18 at the break.

These two teams both play Saturday. Drake hosts Indiana State and Murray State visits Valparaiso.

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