Anna Miller's buzzer-beater sends Drake women's basketball to another MVC Tournament title

MOLINE, Ill. — When the championship lights flip on Sunday afternoon at Vibrant Arena, it's a safe bet Drake women's basketball is likely thriving under them. The Bulldogs have repeatedly owned the Hoops in the Heartland event, just like they expect to.

Bringing more hardware back to Des Moines this time required handling vintage March tension that appeared out of nowhere. Drake, though, is a veteran bunch capable of absorbing adversity on the fly.

Junior Anna Miller saved the day with a hard-earned, buzzer-beating layup after Drake coughed up a 14-point fourth-quarter lead, propelling the top-seeded Bulldogs to Sunday's 76-75 victory over No. 3 seed Missouri State in the MVC Tournament final. The win gives Drake back-to-back Hoops in the Heartland championships and four overall since 2017. The Bulldogs (29-5) are also dancing for the fifth time in the last seven NCAA Tournaments.

"The game is always one of ebbs and flows, and I thought we stayed ridiculously resilient," Drake coach Allison Pohlman said. "It's never exactly what you think it's going to be. But then when you shine and make some things happen and you trust everybody you're playing with, that's what happened today."

Predicting this kind of drama seemed unlikely with Drake holding a 14-point advantage and just seven minutes left on the clock. But the Bulldogs suddenly needed Miller's heroics after a 19-4 Missouri State run ensued from there, including 14 straight Bears points as Drake frantically scrambled.

Lacy Stokes' runner with 2.8 seconds finally handed the Bears their first lead of the afternoon. Pohlman quickly called timeout to set up one last gasp and put Drake's team cohesion on display.

"In the huddle, luckily I have some teammates who can talk me down," Miller said with a laugh after pouring in a game-high 25 points. "I was almost going to throw up. I was so fortunate to have them (my teammates) with me. They were like, 'Calm down. Calm down.' But during the timeout, we were really confident in ourselves and each other."

Taylor McAulay's inbounds pass went in the corner to Courtney Becker, who whipped the ball inside as Miller jockeyed for position. She muscled up a shot that bounced once, then twice, before calmly falling through to ignite the jubilation.

Miller soon disappeared under a celebratory dogpile.

"We just are never stifled," said tournament MVP Katie Dinnebier, who delivered 17 points on 6-for-8 shooting. "That's what is so special about our team. We know we're going to come out on top. That's how it's been all season. We knew that shot from Miller was going in.

"A common theme for our team is just to remain steady. It's basketball. Teams go on runs. That's just how basketball is. For us to just remain steady and calm throughout the end of the game. I think that's what really set us apart.

Unable to break free in a flip-flopping first half, Drake first seized control with an emphatic 11-0 surge out of the locker room that Miller buoyed. That run handed the Bulldogs a 49-35 advantage with 6:51 left in the third quarter. A solid blue-clad support section roared with admiration as Missouri State desperately called for time.

Stokes (16 points) and Missouri State's Kennedy Taylor (22 points, 11 rebounds) took it from there, finally pushing the Bears over the edge after an afternoon of chasing. A massive stunner seemed to be brewing almost out of nowhere.

But this is Drake's event, all the way down to the final buzzer. The Bulldogs are marching back to the NCAA Tournament after a whirlwind afternoon.

"Tears, joy everything came out in that moment," said Berg, who finished with 16 points in her final MVC Tournament game. "It's surreal. Still trying to soak it in, but just really, really proud of this group."

Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Drake women's basketball wins another Hoops in the Heartland title