BURLINGTON, Vt. (December 5, 2021)
 
In Short…
Loyola University Chicago nearly erased a 19-point second-half deficit, but saw its rally fall short in a 72-62 setback to Vermont (4-4) this afternoon inside Patrick Gymnasium in Burlington, Vt.  Today's result snaps the Ramblers' four-game win streak and sees Loyola fall to 5-3 on the year.
 
How It Happened
Allison Day opened the scoring 41 seconds in, muscling up an attempt inside to put the Ramblers in front, 2-0.  Following a Julia Hoefling bucket that gave Loyola a 4-2 edge, Delaney Richason drilled a three that sparked a 7-0 Vermont run to put the hosts on top, 11-4.  Day connected on a triple of her own at the 3:26 mark to snap the drought, as Vermont held a 12-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.
 
Loyola looked to be finding its footing on the offensive end early in the second quarter, with Hoefling and Jala Johnson scoring on consecutive trips to trim the margin to 14-11 with just over a minute gone.  After seeing Maya Chandler finish in traffic to again pull Loyola within three, 16-13, Vermont used a 12-2 run to seize control, ultimately taking a 34-18 lead into halftime.
 
Following a stretch that saw the Catamounts push their lead to 42-23 with 6:53 to go in the third quarter, Loyola slowly began to chip away.  A layup from Sitori Tanin that was followed by two Johnson makes from the charity stripe got the deficit back into single digits, 46-37.  Tanin connected on two more free throws in the closing seconds of the frame to cut the gap to seven, 48-41.
 
The Ramblers continued to battle in the fourth quarter, with a Day conventional three-point play clawing the Maroon & Gold within five, 50-45, with 8:16 remaining in regulation.  With the margin sitting at 53-48 following a split at the line by Day, Josie Larkins hit on a contested three, pushing the Vermont lead back to eight, 56-48.  Loyola would get no closer than seven coming down the stretch, as Vermont salted the game away at the free throw line.
 
Inside The Box Score
- Day led Loyola on the day, posting her second double-double of the year with 18 points (6-15 FGs, 1-4 3FGs, 5-6 FTs) and 10 rebounds.
- Chandler followed up her 20-point effort on Friday night against Dartmouth with 12 points (4-14 FGs, 4-4 FTs) and four rebounds.
- Johnson provided a spark off the bench, contributing 10 points (3-6 FGs, 1-4 3FGs, 3-4 FTs).
- Hoefling was a force on the defensive end, finishing her afternoon with a career-high five blocks in addition to eight points (3-11 FGs, 2-4 FTs) and five rebounds.
- Emma Utterback finished with a game-high 23 points (7-13 FGs, 9-13 FTs) for Vermont.
 
Up Next
Loyola returns to Gentile Arena on Wednesday, December 8 for a 7 p.m. matchup with in-state foe Eastern Illinois.