Chicago ? Matt Howard scored 19 points, and No. 14 Butler won its sixth straight game, pulling away for a 66-55 victory over Loyola of Chicago on Monday night.

The Bulldogs (14-1, 3-1 Horizon League) improved to 14-1 for the second straight season and the fifth time in the program’s history, but it wasn’t easy. They went on a 14-3 run midway through the second half to take a 54-40 lead.

Butler was 9-of-20 from three-point range, but Howard’s work inside was the difference. He scored seven points during the run and was 6-of-10 from the field.

Mike Green added 15 points for the Bulldogs.

J.R. Blount scored 16 points for Loyola (5-10, 1-4), and Andy Polka added 14 points. Loyola fell five games under .500 for the first time since 2004-05, when they lost 16 of their first 23 and finished 13-17 in Jim Whetsell’s first season.