In Short…
A Jasmine Franklin layup as time expired in overtime proved to be the difference as No. 21/19 Missouri State (11-2, 1-0 MVC) defeated Loyola University Chicago by a final count of 74-72 this afternoon at Gentile Arena. Today's defeat sees the Ramblers fall to 9-3 overall and 0-1 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
How It Happened
Back-to-back
Tiara Wallace layups in the early stages of the first quarter helped Loyola jump out to a 10-6 edge with 5:29 remaining. Following a triple by Wallace that reestablished a four-point lead for the Maroon & Gold, 14-10, an Ellie Ruffridge jumper sparked an 8-0 quarter-ending run for the Lady Bears, who held Loyola scoreless for the final 3:50 of the frame en route to opening up an 18-14 advantage.
After an Emily Gartner post score pushed the margin to 20-14,
Abby O'Connor connected from beyond the three-point arc before finding
Kat Nolan inside for a layup that pulled the Ramblers within one, 20-19, with less than 90 seconds gone. Nolan's first trey of the season knotted the score up at 25-25 just two minutes later, but Alexa Willard responded with triples on Missouri State's next two trips to up the gap back to six, 31-25, with 5:58 to play in the half. Loyola would continue to hang tough, as it ultimately trailed by a 41-35 count at halftime.
With the Lady Bear lead sitting at 45-37 in the opening stages of the third quarter, Loyola took off on a 7-0 spurt that featured back-to-back
Allison Day jumpers and a
Janae Gonzales three that sliced the lead to one, 45-44, at the 6:13 mark. The Ramblers would trim the deficit down to one on two more occasions during the third quarter, but were unable to retake the lead, as a Shameka Ealy trey pushed Missouri State back in front by six, 56-50, heading into the fourth quarter.
Loyola battled its way back in front through its work on the defensive end in the final frame, holding Missouri State without a made field goal for nearly five minutes. Buckets inside from Nolan and
Ellie Rice, respectively, cut the deficit back to one, before two O'Connor free throws gave Loyola its first lead since the opening quarter, 58-57. A Willard layup with 5:14 to play put Missouri State back on top, 59-58, ahead of a Rice split at the line that tied the game at 59-59. With Missouri State clinging to a 65-61 lead, Loyola would muster another impressive defensive stand, shutting out the Lady Bears for the final 2:59 of regulation. Four O'Connor free throws, the last two of which came with just 55 seconds to play, knotted up the score at 65-65. Both sides had chances down the stretch to end the game in regulation, but neither was able to convert, forcing overtime in the Valley opener.
Things remained tight throughout the five-minute extra session. A Rice layup with a minute gone clawed Loyola to within 68-67. Following two Sydney Manning free throws that pushed the Lady Bears to a 72-70 edge, Gonzales weaved through traffic and finished at the rim to tie the game at 72-72 with just under a minute to play. Following defensive stops by both teams, Franklin provided the afternoon's deciding moment, finishing inside at the buzzer as Missouri State escaped Rogers Park with a narrow victory.
Inside The Box Score
- O'Connor led an extremely balanced Loyola attack that featured five players to score in double figures with 17 points (5-15 FGs, 1-5 3FGs, 6-6 FTs) and 11 rebounds to secure her 10
th career double-double. The South Bend, Ind. product also recorded three assists and two blocks in 43 minutes of action.
- Rice added 14 points (5-10 FGs, 4-7 FTs), while Nolan provided Loyola with a huge lift off the bench, tying her season high with 13 points (5-9 FGs, 1-2 3FGs, 2-2 FTs).
- Wallace (4-9 FGs, 1-2 3FGs, 2-2 FTs) and Gonzales (4-7 FGs, 2-4 3FGs, 1-2 FTs) each added 11 points apiece, with Wallace dishing out a team-best seven assists, her seventh game with at least five helpers this season.
- Willard led all scorers with 21 points (7-13 FGs, 3-3 3FGs, 4-4 FTs) for Missouri State.
Up Next
Loyola wraps up its current homestand on Sunday when it takes on Southern Illinois at 1 p.m.
