Box Score

In Short…
Kat Nolan scored a career-high 17 points as Loyola University Chicago saw its perfect start at home come to an end this afternoon, falling to visiting UMKC by a final score of 88-74 inside Gentile Arena.  Today's result from Rogers Park pushes the Kangaroos to 4-6 overall, while the Ramblers slip to 6-4.
 
How It Happened
Offense was easy to come by in the early going, with both teams operating at a high rate.  An Ellie Rice transition three gave Loyola its first lead of the afternoon, 7-6, with just under two minutes gone.  Nolan, who poured in 13 points in the opening frame, drained a triple of her own at the midway point of the quarter to stretch the margin to four, 16-12.  UMKC rode its own hot stretch from beyond the three-point arc, knocking down six treys in the game's opening 10 minutes, to surge in front, 24-20, at the end of the first quarter.
 
Citiana Negatu finished in traffic to trim the Kangaroos' lead to one, 26-25, 90 seconds into the second quarter.  UMKC would again catch fire, with an Emily Ivory three capping off an 8-0 tear that pushed the visitors' lead to 38-26.  Loyola clawed back within eight, 42-34, on a pair of Rice free throws late in half's closing minutes before two more triples from Awal Ajak and Ivory, respectively, helped UMKC reestablish a 12-point edge, 50-38, heading to halftime.
 
Loyola struggled to make a dent in its deficit throughout the second half.  A pair of makes at the free throw line by Abby O'Connor trimmed the gap to 54-44 at the 8:10 mark but UMKC answered, opening up its largest lead of the afternoon, 67-48, on an Ericka Mattingly three with 2:32 to play as the Kangaroos rolled into the fourth quarter with a 69-54 advantage.
 
Rice attacked the basket for two early on in the final frame, pulling Loyola back within 11, 71-60, with eight minutes to play.  As was the case to open the half, UMKC refused to break, responding with an 8-2 spurt, capped off by a conventional three-point play from Mattingly, to ultimately put the game out of reach.   
 
Inside The Box Score
- Nolan finished a perfect 8-of-8 from the field en route to posting her aforementioned career high.  The Arlington Heights, Ill. product also collected five rebounds and was credited with a steal.
- Rice played all 40 minutes, ripping down a career-high tying eight rebounds to go along with 15 points, four assists, a block and a steal.
- O'Connor (13 points) and Janae Gonzales (12 points) rounded out a quartet of Ramblers in double figures.  O'Connor matched a career-high of her own, recording three blocks.
- Loyola finished the afternoon at 45.8 percent (27-of-59) from the field, its third highest single-game shooting percentage of the season. 
- UMKC took advantage of 18 Loyola turnovers, cashing them in for 22 points on the other end.
- Mattingly led all scorers with 23 points.  
 
Up Next
Loyola closes out non-conference play on Thursday evening at 7 p.m. when it welcomes city-rival No. 20/18 DePaul to Gentile Arena.