Butler Falls To Loyola, 69-58

CHICAGO -- Freshman Stephanie Boeke scored 12 points and current Horizon League Player of the Week Nancy Bowden added 11 points, but it wasn't enough as the Bulldogs fell to Loyola 69-58 on Thursday evening at the Joseph J. Gentile Center. The loss, Butler's second straight, drops the Bulldogs to 3-10 overall and 1-2 in Horizon League action. Loyola, which has won six straight, improves to 7-8 and 4-0 in the league.

Butler's Angel Mason narrowly missed a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds in front of her hometown crowd, and Bowden added eight assists and five steals to her totals.

After Loyola jumped out to a 4-0 start, the Bulldogs held the Ramblers scoreless over a seven-minute stretch, while going on a 9-0 run. But, the Ramblers would counter quickly, going on a 7-0 run of their own to take a 15-11 lead.

After a 17-17 tie, the Ramblers started gaining momentum as six straight points from Ciara Henderson gave the hosts a 29-21 lead with 1:01 remaining. The two teams alternated baskets over the last minute, and Loyola headed into halftime with a 31-23 advantage. Butler shot just 29.4 percent in the first period.

Butler began the second half reenergized, going on a 12-3 run over the first few minutes to cut the gap to 38-37 with 11:59 to play. Tracy Hoffman's three-pointer at 6:23 put Loyola ahead 50-44, but again the Bulldogs came charging back as Mason's three-point play at 4:26 pulled Butler to within 52-51.

Hoffman then took over for the hosts, scoring seven straight points down the stretch to give Loyola a 59-52 edge. The Ramblers then put the game away at the charity stripe, by hitting six consecutive free throws in the final minutes. The Ramblers were a perfect 8-for-8 from the line in the second half.

Hoffman finished with a game-high 19 points to lead Loyola. Sarah Hamilton added a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds and Henderson (11) and Meskhenet Lands (10) also scored in double figures. Maggie Toczylowski led all players with a 13-rebound performance.

The Bulldogs finished the game shooting 37.3 percent from the field, including an uncharacteristic 14.3 percent (2-14) from long range. Loyola, which outrebounded the Bulldogs 45-38, shot 41.7 percent from the field on the game.

Butler will host Horizon League foe Wright State on Thursday (Jan. 16). Game time is slated for 7 p.m. at Hinkle Fieldhouse.