PEORIA, Ill. (January 22, 2021) –
In Short…
Led by three players in double figures, Loyola University Chicago (5-3, 3-1 MVC) picked up a 71-66 victory over host Bradley (9-5, 5-2 MVC) this evening inside Renaissance Coliseum in Peoria, Ill. Tonight's win is only the Ramblers' fourth on the road over Bradley since the 1993-94 season and snaps the Braves' five-game win streak.
Head Coach Kate Achter's Thoughts…
"Tonight was easily our best offensive performance of the year against another really good basketball team. It's starting to feel like things are piecing together a bit better. We got good minutes from a lot of different people. At the end of the year, we want to be able to say that we've gotten better and we're trending in that direction."
How It Happened
Kat Nolan got the Maroon & Gold on the board first, connecting on a triple with just under two minutes gone to make it 3-0. Bradley answered back, rattling off six straight to jump in front, 6-3. A pair of makes at the line by Lasha Petree pushed the Braves' advantage to 13-9, but
Maya Chandler scored the frame's last four points, the final two of which came on a driving layup with time ticking down, to knot the score up at 13-13.
With Bradley clinging to a 15-14 edge following a Petree score, a reverse layup by
Bre Hampton-Bey kickstarted a 6-0 spurt that sent Loyola back on top, 20-15, at the 7:57 mark. After seeing Bradley retake the lead, 24-23, Chandler drained an uncontested triple to vault Loyola in front, 26-24, with three minutes to play in the half. Bradley responded with a 7-0 surge, five of which came from Gabi Haack, to open up a 31-26 edge, as it ultimately took a 33-28 lead into the intermission.
Following a Haack layup that pushed the margin to 36-32 with 7:16 to play in the third quarter,
Ellie Rice connected on two three-point field goals over a 41-second span, the second of which tied the game at 38 apiece nearing the midway point of the frame.
Sam Galanopoulos dialed in from outside with under three minutes to go, again tying the game, 42-42. Loyola nudged in front, 47-45, on an
Allison Day jumper, but Haack came away with a steal and layup as time expired to send the two in-state foes to the fourth quarter all square at 47-47.
Galanopoulos drained another three only 15 seconds into the fourth quarter to give Loyola a 50-47 lead. Hampton-Bey finished in traffic as the shot clock expired to stake the Ramblers to their largest lead of the night, 58-50, at the 6:54 mark. Bradley refused to go away on its home floor, with Mahri Petree firing home a three that cut the lead to 61-58 with 4:58 remaining. After seeing the Braves close within one, 63-62, on a Haack bucket, Chandler fought up a contested jumper to push the lead back to three, 65-62. With the Ramblers holding on to a perilous 69-66 advantage in the waning seconds of regulation, Day forced a Bradley turnover and found a streaking Galanopoulos for a fast break score to seal Loyola's third win in as many games.
Inside The Box Score
- Loyola operated at a season-best 51 percent (25-of-49) from the field, including a red-hot 72.7 percent (8-of-11) clip during the fourth quarter.
- Galanopoulos was terrific, coming off the bench to score a career-high 17 points (5-7 FGs, 2-4 3FGs, 5-6 FTs) to go along with two rebounds and four assists.
- Day continued her steady play of late, finishing with 16 points (6-9 FGs, 4-6 FTs), five rebounds, two assists, and a steal.
- Chandler matched her career high in scoring, adding 14 points (5-9 FGs, 1-2 3FGs, 3-4 FTs).
- Rice battled MVC Preseason Player of the Year Lasha Petree all night on the defensive end and chipped in eight points, seven rebounds, four assists, a block, and two steals.
- Haack (9-14 FGs, 2-6 3FGs, 2-5 FTs) and Mahri Petree (6-8 FGs, 2-2 3FGs, 8-8 FTs) each finished with 22 points to lead Bradley.
Up Next
Loyola and Bradley conclude their weekend series on Saturday at 4 p.m. in Peoria, Ill.
