DES MOINES, Iowa – Junior Kyndal Clark (Webb City, Mo.) set a school record with 10 three-pointers and scored a career-high 36 points but her efforts were not enough as Loyola surpassed the Drake women's basketball team in the final minutes of the game to prevail, 75-69, Friday night at the Knapp Center.
It was a tight battle down the stretch with each team matching blows until Loyola (8-10, 4-2 MVC) scored the final nine points of the game to pull away for the win. Drake (7-11, 1-6 MVC) had one basket and committed two turnovers on its final six possessions.
Freshman Caitlin Ingle (Runnells, Iowa) started for the first time tonight and played a career-high 38 minutes. She had seven points along with eight assists, six rebounds and three steals. She set career-high marks in assists and rebounds, while matching her career-best in steals. Clark played all 40 minutes for the first-time in her career and finished with eight boards, six steals and two assists.
“Kyndal Clark was unbelievable tonight, but unfortunately she didn't have much help,” said Drake head coach Jennie Baranczyk. “If we could have had just had one more person step up it could have been a different outcome. We went 6-of-11 from the free throw line and they (Loyola) hit 13-of-15, so that's something we need to continue to work on.”
Clark led the Bulldogs in the opening minutes of the game, scoring eight of the team's first 13 points, but a five minute scoring drought allowed Loyola to put together a 13-0 scoring run as the Ramblers opened up a 24-13 lead, forcing Drake to call a timeout with 9:06 left on the clock. Drake responded with a 9-2 scoring run of its own out of the timeout to pull within four points, 26-22, using a trio of three-pointers from Ashley Bartow (Sun Prairie, Wis.), Carly Grenfell (York, Neb.) and Clark.
The Bulldogs closed the half with 10-straight points, and held Loyola scoreless for the final 3:26, to take a 37-33 lead into the locker room. Most of the offense came through Clark, who tallied 20 points in the opening half, which tied for the seventh most points in a single half in school history. In a similar scenario for Loyola, 15 points from Troy Hambric carried the Ramblers' offense in the first half.
Drake started the second half slowly making just two of its first 12 shots as Loyola regained the lead, 49-46, at the under-12 timeout. The Blue and White hit shots following the timeout taking the lead, 59-55, following a 13-6 run that lasted 3:23.
Drake struggled from the floor with a 36.2 percent clip on 25-for-69 shooting, while shooting 37.1 percent (13-of-35) from beyond the arc. Loyola posted a 46.4 percent overall mark and 45.5 percent from long range. The Ramblers shot 86.7 percent from the charity stripe, while Drake struggled with a 54.5 percent performance. The Bulldogs did hold an advantage on the boards, outrebounding Loyola, 44-35, and scoring 13 second-chance points.
“I like the rebounding advantage we had tonight,” commented Baranczyk. “But we had 10 offensive rebounds in the second half and no second chance points to show for it. Those things we need to continue to work at and get better at capitalizing on. We aren't done though, we are still going to fight to get better and we will.”
Freshman Lizzy Wendell (Blue Springs, Mo.) just missed a double-double, scoring nine points and grabbing nine rebounds for Drake. Grenfell tallied eight points off the bench, while Bartow added seven points.
Loyola had three players score in double figures, with 23 points from Hambric pacing the Ramblers. Becca Smith scored 15 points and Ayrealle Beavers notched 10 to round out Loyola's top scorers. Hambric led the team in rebounds with 10.
The Bulldogs welcome the Bradley Braves to the Knapp Center Sunday afternoon. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. with the annual Drake women's basketball alumni game to follow on the Knapp Center floor.
