CHICAGO – The Drake University women's basketball team turned in a dominant first half to propel itself to a 75-46 win over Loyola on Friday night at Gentile Arena.
 
The result marked the 117th conference victory for head coach Jennie Baranczyk, who surpassed Lisa Bluder for most in Drake history.
 
The Bulldogs (9-8, 7-3 MVC) came out of the gates firing, making 21-of-26 shots (80.8 percent) in the first half – the second-best percentage in any half in program history.
 
Drake used separate first-half runs of 17-2 and 18-3 to take command of the game from the outset. Grace Berg led the charge offensively, netting a game-high 15 points on 7-of-13 shooting. She matched a season-high with five assists and equaled a career-high in steals with four.
 
Monica Burich added 12 points, and Taylor McAulay registered a career-high with 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting in 15 minutes. Mya Mertz notched a personal-best with 13 rebounds in 18 minutes. Sarah Beth Gueldner had nine points.
 
As convincing as its offensive display was, Drake also submitted a suffocating defensive performance. The Bulldogs limited the Ramblers (7-5, 5-3 MVC) to 27.3 percent from the floor and 25.0 percent from 3-point range. Loyola could muster only 12 assists to 13 turnovers, compared to 23 assists for Drake.
 
The key to Drake's success stemmed from its control of the paint, where the Bulldogs outscored the Ramblers, 50-18, and outrebounded them, 45-33. All nine Bulldogs who played scored four or more points.
 
Drake and Loyola conclude their doubleheader with a 6 p.m. tip Saturday night at Gentile Arena. It will be streamed on ESPN+.