CHICAGO – The Drake University women's basketball team erased a three-point deficit at the start of the second quarter against Loyola University Thursday night and cruised to a 97-53 victory at Gentile Arena. The Bulldogs went on impressive 49-7 scoring run from the start of the second quarter to the first media timeout of the third quarter.
 
Drake (22-7, 17-0 MVC) had five score in double figures led by Becca Hittner (Urbandale, Iowa) who poured in a game-high 25 points, including 23 after the first quarter. The 25 points for Hittner are the most for the sophomore in a Valley game. Joining Hittner in double-digits was Maddy Dean (Jordan, Minn.) with 17 points, Sara Rhine (Eldon, Mo.) had 15 points, Nicole Miller (Walker, Iowa) added 11 points and Sammie Bachrodt (Wichita, Kan.) scored 10 points. Dean, Miller and Rhine helped the Bulldogs' bench outscore the Ramblers', 45-10.
 
Paige Greiner (Williamsburg, Iowa) made her second career start and finished with nine points. Greiner knocked down three three-pointers. The Bulldogs made 16 three-pointers as a team as four players made at least two and Dean tied her career-high with five. Drake made 37 field goals and tallied 31 assists as every player recorded at least one assist. Bachrodt handed out six while Greiner and Hittner each dished out five. As a team, Drake nabbed a season-high 18 steals.
 
Jessica Cerda scored a team-high 17 points for Loyola (7-21, 5-12 MVC). Tiara Wallace added 11 points. 
 
Drake, which is already the only Valley team to go undefeated in regular season play after last year's 18-0 run, is one win away from doing it for the second-straight season. The Bulldogs own the longest Gateway/MVC era regular season winning streak and Friday's win in the Windy City is the 39th-straight MVC regular season win.
 
Loyola led 23-20 at the end of the first quarter behind stellar shooting of 62.5 percent. The Bulldogs battled turnovers leading to seven points for the Ramblers. Loyola led by as many as 10 points at one time in the opening quarter.
 
Drake came out on fire in the second period making five three-pointers before the media timeout, including four-straight as Greiner hit two in that span. The team made a season-high for three-pointers in a quarter with nine. The Bulldogs roared back to lead 35-26 at the media break. They didn't let up ripping off a 16-4 run to end the period and hold a 51-30 halftime lead. Four Bulldogs (Bachrodt, Dean, Greiner and Hittner) each made two three-pointers while Miller and Rhine each hit one. It is the second-consecutive game Drake tallied 51 points in the opening two quarters.
 
In the second quarter, Drake ramped up the defensive pressure forcing 10 Ramblers' turnovers and holding Loyola to just seven points and 30.0 percent shooting.
 
Following Thursday's game, Drake closes the regular season at Valparaiso Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. The contest with the newest member of the MVC is scheduled for 3 p.m. and will be broadcast on The Valley on ESPN3.