CHICAGO (January 2, 2020)
In Short…
Loyola University Chicago received contributions from across the board as it battled its way to a 59-52 victory over Indiana State this afternoon inside Gentile Arena. With the win, the Ramblers climb back to .500 on the year at 3-3 overall (1-1 MVC), while the Sycamores fall to 4-3 (1-1 MVC).
How It Happened
Much like in Friday's matchup, offense was tough to come by on both ends to begin the day. After a
Jala Johnson split at the free throw line knotted up the score at 3-3 at the 5:17 mark, Hattie Westerfeld finished inside and Jasmine Elder knocked down a triple to push Indiana State in front, 8-3. Loyola looked to find its footing as the quarter wore on, as it finished the frame on a 5-0 spurt, punctuated by an
Ellie Rice three, to pull even at 12-12.
Rice drained a mid-range jumper to give Loyola its first lead, 14-12, 57 seconds into the second quarter, but the Sycamores responded with six unanswered points to surge back on top, 18-14. Loyola countered with a run of its own, with a
Kat Nolan triple with 7:07 to play igniting a 9-0 burst that was capped off by an old-fashioned three-point play from
Jala Johnson which nudged the Ramblers in front by six, 24-18. Indiana State refused to go away, tying the game at 28-28 on an Adrian Folks jumper with 35 seconds remaining before
Bre Hampton-Bey split a pair of attempts at the line to send Loyola into the locker room with a 29-28 advantage.
Back-to-back scores from Folks just before the midway point of the third quarter staked the visitors to a 38-33 lead and prompted a Loyola timeout.
Anna Brown caught fire from deep in the ensuing minutes, drilling three treys over the course of a 2:56 span, the last two of which laid the foundation for a quarter-ending 8-0 Rambler run that gave Loyola a 44-40 lead.
Johnson battled her way inside for two with 8:02 to play in regulation, stretching the margin to 48-42. Folks answered with another bucket to again trim the gap to four, 48-44, but
Kaylen Evans responded with consecutive scores to give the Ramblers their largest lead of the afternoon, 52-44, with just 6:38 remaining. Indiana State continued to battle, keeping the Ramblers scoreless for over four minutes as it closed within two, 52-50. That would be as close as the Sycamores would get, as Loyola held Indiana State without a made field goal for the final three minutes and hit on five of its final six attempts from the free throw line to earn its first conference win of the season.
Inside The Box Score
- Day reached double figures in scoring for a fourth consecutive game, closing the afternoon with 12 points (4-7 FGs, 4-6 FTs), six rebounds, an assist, and a steal.
- Brown played a terrific 21 minutes off the bench, hitting on three of her five attempts from beyond the three-point arc as she finished with 12 points (4-7 FGs, 3-5 3FGs, 1-1 FTs) and four rebounds.
- Hampton-Bey handed out a team-high four assists in addition to four points (1-10 FGs, 2-4 FTs), six rebounds, and two steals.
- Loyola also received great outings in relief from both Johnson and Evans. Johnson chipped in nine points (2-4 FGs, 5-7 FTs), two rebounds, a block, and a steal, while Evans added six points (3-9 FGs), four rebounds, and two assists.
- Indiana State finished at 37.5 percent (18-of-48) from the field, compared to 33.9 percent (19-of-56) for Loyola, but committed 20 turnovers that resulted in 16 points for the Maroon & Gold.
- Folks led the Sycamores with 11 points (5-5 FGs, 1-2 FTs).
Up Next
Loyola ventures outside Chicago for the first time in 2020-21 next weekend when it heads to Springfield, Mo. to battle No. 24/24 Missouri State, January 8-9.
