DES MOINES (January 30, 2022)
 
In Short
Chris Knight picked up his second double-double of the season, but Loyola University Chicago (16-4, 7-2 MVC) was done in by a 20-7 run in the second half as preseason Missouri Valley Conference favorite, Drake (16-6, 7-2 MVC), earned a 77-68 victory at the Knapp Center this afternoon in a battle of the top two teams in the league standings. The loss is Loyola's first on the road this season.
 
How It Happened
Braden Norris scored five points as Loyola opened the game by recording nine of the first 11 points to open up a 9-2 advantage. But from there, the Ramblers' offense stalled and Drake assembled a 15-4 run to grab a 17-13 lead midway through the period.
 
Seven unanswered Rambler tallies, four from Knight and another three from Norris, were part of a larger 14-5 burst that moved Loyola back on top, 27-22 with 5:06 left in the period. 
 
Loyola's lead was still five (29-24) when the Bulldogs ignited a half-closing 8-2 spurt that was punctuated by a D.J. Wilkins layup with four ticks on the clock, to give Drake a 32-31 edge at the half.
 
The Ramblers opened the second half quickly, working the ball inside to Knight for three buckets to reclaim the lead, 37-32, and force a Drake timeout just 2:10 into the period.
 
Drake rallied, however, by tallying 11 of the next 14 points to stake claim to a 43-40 advantage, but Knight's traditional three-point play evened the contest at 43-43.
 
A Tucker DeVries triple sparked a game-changing 20-7 run that was capped by a trey from Garrett Sturtz that provided the Bulldogs with a 63-50 lead, their largest of the contest. Loyola would cut into that deficit, inching its way within six points, at 70-64, on Marquise Kennedy's second trey of the afternoon, but the Bulldogs connected on 7 of 8 attempts from the foul line in the final two minutes to seal the win.
 
A Look at the Numbers

• In his first start as a Rambler, Knight was sensational, going for team highs of 15 points and 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the year.
• Three other Ramblers scored in double digits. Braden Norris netted all 12 of his points in the first half, while Kennedy tallied all 12 of his points in the closing 20 minutes. Norris also added seven assists and five rebounds.
• Lucas Williamson pitched in 11 points, four boards and three assists for Loyola, which struggled from behind the arc, hitting just 6 of 23 shots (.261).
• D.J. Wilkins led all scorers with 20 points and Drake connected on 25 of its 28 tries (.893) from the charity stripe.

 
Up Next
Loyola is back at home Wednesday night (Feb. 2) when it hosts Illinois State at 7 p.m.