In Short…
Allison Day came off the bench to score a career-high tying 20 points as a shorthanded Loyola University Chicago dropped a narrow 83-75 decision to perennial Valley powerhouse Drake (21-7, 13-3 MVC) this evening at Gentile Arena.  Following tonight's result, the Ramblers now sit at 15-11 overall and 6-9 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
 
How It Happened
After seeing Drake race out to an 8-3 edge in the game's first 3:39, a driving score by Tiara Wallace pulled Loyola within 8-5 as the Maroon & Gold slowly began to battle back.  Anna Brown connected on a triple to trim the Bulldog lead to 12-10 at the 3:27 mark, before a trey from Janae Gonzales capped off a 5-0 spurt the sent Loyola in front, 19-18 with just over 30 seconds remaining.  Becca Hittner would answer with a three of her own in the first quarter's closing seconds to put Drake back on top, 21-19.
 
With the margin sitting at 27-19 following a Maggie Negaard make from distance, scores on consecutive trips from Wallace and Alexis Meyer brought Loyola back to down only four, 27-23, with 6:15 remaining.  The Bulldogs would counter with the night's next eight points to push their lead into double digits en route to racing into halftime with a 45-32 advantage.
 
Drake looked to pull away in the third quarter, taking its largest lead of the night, 55-39, on a post score by Sara Rhine with 5:39 to play.  Loyola refused to fold, with a Day bucket capping off a 6-0 surge that trimmed the gap to 55-45 at the 4:29 mark.  A conventional three-point play from Kierra Collier upped the margin to 60-47 with just under three minutes remaining, but Day finished the frame with a flurry, accounting for seven of Loyola's final nine points as the Ramblers closed within six, 62-56.
 
Loyola continued to press on entering the fourth quarter, cutting its deficit to 62-61 on an Abby O'Connor three-point field goal with 8:40 to go in regulation.  Consecutive scores from Ellie Rice and Meyer gave the Ramblers their first lead since late in the first quarter, 65-64, with 6:32 remaining.  With Drake holding on to a perilous 68-67 edge, the Bulldogs took off on a 9-0 run, capped off by a three-point play from Maddie Monahan, that pushed their lead to 77-67.  Loyola continued to battle until the very end, but was unable to get closer than eight before time expired.
 
Inside The Box Score
- Day spearheaded the Loyola attack, finishing with the aforementioned 20 points (4-8 FGs, 12-14 FTs) and four rebounds.  The sophomore's 12 made free throws on the night are tied for the third most in a single outing all-time in program history.
- O'Connor again flirted with a double-double, contributing 16 points (6-17 FGs, 2-7 3FGs, 2-2 FTs), nine rebounds, three assists, a block, and two steals.
- Wallace continued her stellar play of late, adding 15 points (7-15 FGs, 1-2 FTs), six rebounds, six assists, and a career-high tying five steals.
- Hittner led all scorers with 21 points (6-13 FGs, 4-6 3FGs, 5-5 FTs).
 
Up Next
Loyola wraps up its home schedule on Sunday when it hosts UNI on Senior Day at Gentile Arena.  Wallace and student manager Wally Castelaz will be honored for their contributions to the program prior to the 1 p.m. tip-off.