DES MOINES, Iowa - Loyola used an 18-1 run in the second half to pull away from the Drake men's basketball team for an 80-57 win in a meeting between the Missouri Valley Conference leaders Wednesday evening at the Knapp Center. With the loss, Drake drops to second in the MVC standings while Loyola takes sole possession of first place.
 
Drake (12-10, 6-3 MVC) was led by Graham Woodward's (Edina, Minn.) 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Reed Timmer (New Berlin, Wis.) added 10 points as he inched closer to becoming the Bulldogs' all-time scoring leader. Nick McGlynn (Stoughton, Wis.) added 12 points including a three-pointer with 9:19 left to tie the game at 51-51 before the Ramblers went on their game-winning run.
 
"It was a tough night for us," said Drake head coach Niko Medved. "The game was nip-and-tuck and we made a run to tie it up. Then everything got away from us late. We struggled to guard the ball and execute on offense. Give them credit, it was really hard for us to get into any rhythm tonight. The game was a lot closer for periods of time than the final score."  
Loyola (17-4, 7-2 MVC) had four players in double-figures including a game-high 17 points from Marques Townes on an 8-of-10 shooting performance. Clayton Custer added 14 points and eight assists while Cameron Krutwig put up a game-high seven rebounds in addition to his 12 points.
 
The Bulldogs shot 53.8 percent in the first half of the game but were held to just 33.3 percent in the second and made just four three-pointers on the evening to suffer their first home loss of the season.
 
"Ultimately, we struggled to hit shots and didn't guard as well as we know how to," Woodward said.
 
In a game that featured eight lead changes and seven ties, the Bulldogs held a narrow 31-29 lead going into half after seven first-half points from Woodward. Drake struggled to open the second half going 1-of-8 as Loyola jumped out to a 41-34 lead. Drake fought back to tie the game at 51 but was unable pull past Loyola after the Ramblers assembled their 18-1 second half run.   
 
"We know that this is one night. We've got to put it to sleep and let it go. It will sting for a bit, but we're halfway and ready to go moving forward," Woodward added.
 
Drake returns to action Saturday when it travels to Evansville for a 1 p.m. tipoff with the Purple Aces. Earlier this season, Drake defeated Evansville 81-65.