CHICAGO (November 20, 2021)
In Short…
Sitori Tanin came off the bench to score a game-high 14 points as Loyola University Chicago fended off a gritty Chicago State (0-4) team this afternoon, picking up a 71-59 win inside Gentile Arena. Today's victory sees the Ramblers climb back to the .500 mark at 2-2 overall on the year.
Head Coach Kate Achter's Thoughts…
"Very happy to be back in the win column. At times today, we saw flashes of how good we can be, especially in transition. There are a lot of really good things happening for us. We got some great bench minutes from Sitori, and I thought Kaylen Evans played as well as she's ever played in a Loyola uniform. We had a number of other people play well also, but those two really stuck out."
How It Happened
Bre Hampton-Bey put the Ramblers on the board just 34 seconds in, driving inside to make it 2-0. A pair of
Allison Day buckets bookended two Kyjai Miles free throws as Loyola opened up an 8-2 edge near the midway point of the frame. Following a Hampton-Bey jumper that stretched the margin to 10-3, Chicago State took off on a 9-0 run, with a fast break score from Aaliyah Collins giving the Cougars a 12-10 lead with 2:15 to go. Following a Janiah Newell make that upped the visitors' advantage to 16-12,
Sam Galanopoulos finished in the paint with time expiring to pull the Ramblers within two, 16-14.
Loyola started the second quarter on fire from distance, as
Maya Chandler and
Janae Gonzales each delivered from beyond the arc to send the Maroon & Gold in front, 20-16, and force a Chicago State timeout. The lead reached seven, 28-21, on a Tanin split at the line with 4:46 remaining, but the Cougars continued to hang around, with Loyola ultimately taking a 37-30 edge into the locker room.
Hampton-Bey looked to take over early coming out of the intermission, rattling off five consecutive points to push the lead into double digits, 42-32, with only 71 seconds gone. As was the case during the first half, Chicago State refused to go away, using an 11-2 surge that was capped off by an Ana Haklicka conventional three-point play to climb within one, 44-43, with 4:41 to play. Loyola's bench provided a lift in the minutes following, with
Jala Johnson and Tanin alternating scores on the Ramblers' ensuing four possessions, the last of which stretched the gap to nine, 52-43, as Loyola held a 55-45 after three quarters of play.
Any hopes of a Chicago State comeback were quickly dashed in the fourth quarter, as Loyola held the Cougars scoreless for just over four minutes while opening the final frame on a 7-0 run highlighted by a Tanin old-fashioned three-point play that upped the lead to 62-45. Loyola coasted to the final horn from there, wrapping up an 11
th straight win over its rival to the south.
Inside The Box Score
- Loyola finished the afternoon at a blistering 61.9 percent (26-for-42) from the field, the sixth highest mark for a single game in Rambler annals.
- Tanin, who scored a career-high 16 points in last season's meeting with Chicago State, was terrific in relief, finishing with her aforementioned 14 points (5-8 FGs, 4-7 FTs), three rebounds, an assist, and a steal.
- Hampton-Bey was a perfect 4-of-4 from the field, adding 12 points (4-4 FGs, 1-1 3FGs, 3-4 FTs), while Chandler also reached double figures, chipping in 10 points (4-5 FGs, 2-3 3FGs).
- Galanopoulos handed out a team-high six assists, her second straight game with five-plus helpers.
- Loyola was able to overcome 24 turnovers in large part due to its work on the defensive end of the floor, where it held Chicago State to just 37.3 percent (22-for-59) shooting.
- Haklicka led the Cougars with 13 points (4-10 FGs, 1-6 3FGs, 4-6 FTs).
Up Next
Loyola returns to Gentile Arena on Wednesday, November 24 for a 1 p.m. tilt with Saint Francis (Ill.)
