Box Score

In Short…
Host Purdue (7-3) took charge in the third quarter to break open what was a four-point game at halftime, downing Loyola University Chicago by a final margin of 65-41 this afternoon inside Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind.  Today's result halts the Ramblers' four-game winning streak, bringing the Maroon & Gold to 6-3 on the year.
 
How It Happened
Both teams struggled to find a flow on the offensive end in the first half, combining to shoot just over 35 percent.  Tiara Wallace put the Ramblers on the board three minutes in, connecting on a baseline jumper to knot the score up at 2-2.  Purdue would open up a four-point edge on a pair of separate occasions in the first quarter but Loyola continued to hang tough.  Janae Gonzales' first three of the day gave Loyola a short-lived 9-8 lead before Ae'Rianna Harris finished inside with time running down to put the Boilermakers back on top, 10-9.
 
Gonzales hit again from beyond the three-point arc with at the 7:22 mark of the second quarter to pull Loyola within three, 17-14.  Purdue responded by stretching the margin to nine, 24-15, on a split at the free throw line by Kayana Traylor but Loyola would go on to hold the Boilermakers scoreless for the final 4:46 of the half, cutting its deficit to four, 24-20, on an Abby O'Connor jumper in the paint heading into halftime.
 
Buckets from Dominique Oden provided the bookends to a surge that saw Purdue rattle off 19 unanswered points to open the second half, stretching its lead to 43-20 with 4:28 remaining in the frame.  Ellie Rice finished in traffic just under 30 seconds later to break a near six-minute drought for the Maroon & Gold, but Loyola would get no closer than 20 the rest of the way as Purdue coasted to its seventh victory of the season.
 
Inside The Box Score
- O'Connor finished just shy of a double-double to lead Loyola, chipping in eight points and nine rebounds. 
- Rice handed out a team-best four assists to go along with six points, a rebound and a steal.
- Purdue limited Loyola to just 32 percent (16-of-50) shooting and cashed in for 21 points off 21 Rambler turnovers.
- McLaughlin poured in a game-high 19 points to pace a trio of Boilermakers in double figures.
 
Up Next
Loyola will take a week off for final exams before returning to the Gentile Arena hardwood on Sunday, December 16 to host UMKC.  Halftime of the noon tip-off against the Kangaroos will feature the program's inaugural Teddy Bear Toss, supporting Lutheran Social Services of Illinois' Rogers Park Head Start Child Care Center.