CHICAGO - The Loyola University Chicago women's basketball team is set for a Super Bowl Sunday meeting in the City of Brotherly Love as it takes on Saint Joseph's this Sunday (Feb. 9). Tip-off from Hagan Arena is set for noon CT with the game streaming live on ESPN+.

QUICK HITS

• Having lost four-straight, the Ramblers (11-12, 3-9 Atlantic 10) aim to turn things around this Sunday with their trip to Philly.
• Most recently, the Maroon and Gold fell, 68-51, at Davidson this past Wednesday on the road at Belk Arena.
• Loyola was 33-percent from both the field (13-of-39) and deep (5-of-15) in the loss while four Wildcats finished in double-figure scoring.
• Naelle Bernard spearheaded Loyola's performance, contributing 13 points and four rebounds, while Thoranna Kika Hodge-Carr and Kendall Hendrix added seven points apiece.
• Thanks to Loyola's platoon substitution method, its bench dominated Davidson's, outscoring them 36-14. It marked the second consecutive game and the eighth time this season that LUC's bench outperformed its opponents.
• Despite the loss, the Ramblers were thrilled to have Rosalie Mercille back in the lineup. Returning from an injury, Mercille made her first appearance since Dec. 21 against Evansville and immediately made an impact with a three in the first quarter.
• The 'Blers are now full strength for the first time this season with all 15 student-athletes able to contribute.
• Bernard ranks among the A-10's top-10 in made 3-point field goals per game, boasting a 1.8 makes per game from downtown.
• Following Sunday, Loyola Chicago returns home after its two-game road swing for a meeting with George Washington this coming Wednesday (Feb. 12).

RAMBLER BITES

• Five letterwinners return to the roster, including two starters. The Ramblers welcome 10 newcomers, including six freshman and four transfers.
• Head coach Allison Guth is in her third season at the helm of Loyola. 2024-25 is her ninth year as a head coach after spending the first six seasons at Yale.
• Loyola Chicago's nine-win improvement from 2022-23 to 2023-24 was the second best turnaround in the Atlantic 10.
• The Ramblers named returners Sitori Tanin, Thoranna Kika Hodge-Carr, and Kira Chivers team captains for the 2024-25 season.
• A trio of 2023-24 Ramblers inked professional contracts overseas this past summer: Emma Nolan (Bad Homburg, Germany), Sophia Nolan (Dillingen Diamonds, Germany), and Sam Galanopoulos (Esperides Kallitheas, Greece). There are now seven former Ramblers who have played pro basketball.

SCOUTING THE SAINT JOSEPH'S HAWKS

• Head Coach Cindy Griffin is 465-348 (.572) through 27 seasons (24 at SJU).
• One of the hottest teams in the conference, Saint Joseph's ranks third in the league while its seven-game win streak is the conference's third-longest.
• This season, the team sits 19-4 overall and 10-2 in A-10 play.
• The Hawks are led by three averaging double-digit scoring.
• Laura Ziegler's 17.7 points per game leads the trio and ranks second in the league.
• The team's defense is stout as well, ranking No. 14 in the nation as foes average just 54.6 points per game against the Hawks.
• Last time out, Saint Joseph;s downed Saint Louis by 20 points at home.
• Prior, Aleah Snead dropped a career-high 22 points versus Davidson to land ROTW honors.

ALL-TIME AGAINST SAINT JOSEPH'S

• The Maroon and Gold are searching for their first-ever win over the hawks as they trail in the all-time series, 0-3.
• The two teams met for the first time ever in 1994 - a 92-53 road loss for the 'Blers.
• Last season, the two programs met in Rogers Park on Jan. 31, 2024. Loyola lost that matchup, 61-50.
• The Ramblers' defense held the Hawks to below their point season-average of 67.3, but it wasn't enough as the SJU pulled out the win.
• Sitori Tanin notched a career-high five blocks and scored eight points in the loss.

LAST TIME OUT

• Loyola lost, 68-51, to Davidson on the road this past Wednesday night at Belk Arena. Naelle Bernard led Loyola's efforts with 13 points and four rebounds while Thoranna Kika Hodge-Carr and Kendall Hendrix chipped in seven each.

 ATLANTIC 10 PRESEASON POLL

• The defending champion Richmond Spiders were voted as the Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball 2024-25 season favorite in the league's annual Preseason Poll. Saint Joseph's was chosen second in the poll with 211 points and four first place votes. After a record setting 2023-24 where they went 15-3 in the Atlantic 10 and won 23 games, George Mason, with 188 votes, rounded out the top-3.

RETURNING RAMBLERS

• Back for another season is graduate student Sitori Tanin, Loyola's 6-foot-2 force in the paint. Tanin racked up 45 blocks (1.5 per game) last season to lead the team and rank No. 4 in the A-10. She posted at least one block in 23 games, including a career-high five vs. Saint Joseph's on Jan. 31.
• Graduate student guard Thoranna Kika Hodge-Carr is ready to pick up where she left off in 2023-24. The Keflavik, Iceland, native averaged 5.6 points per game last season to rank fifth on the team. Likewise, she tallied 3.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game to rank third and fourth on the team, respectively.
• Kira Chivers, who averaged 19.0 minutes and 3.5 points per game to rank sixth and seventh on the team, respectively, is looking to make noise this season. The Chicago native made 33-of-96 attempts from the field for a 34-percent clip. Additionally, she was 19-of-46 (41-percent) from deep.
• Between Chivers, Tanin, and Hodge-Carr, Loyola Chicago returns 562 points.
• Also back and looking to take a step this season are Destiny Jackson and Audrey Deptula.

FRESH FACES

• Guth signed 10 newcomers to her 2024-25 roster this past offseason. In terms of freshman, Yasmyn Palmer, a 6-foot-2 forward from Southfield, Mich., will help the Maroon and Gold in the post. She earned All-Conference, All-Catholic, and Detroit Free Press All-Area accolades playing for Cranbrook Kingswood.
• Roisin Grandberry, who's originally from Arlington Heights, Ill., will also help in the paint as a 6-foot-3 forward. Believed to be Loyola's highest-rated recruit ever, Grandberry was tabbed No. 74 in the 2024 espnW HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings (No. 16 forward). Additionally, the freshman was ranked No. 6 in the Prep Girls Hoops Illinois class of 2024.
• Alexa Kinas, a 5-foot-8 guard, was a tri-sport student-athlete at Kaukauna High School (Wisconsin). The freshman racked up 20-plus All-Conference awards and 12 varsity letters playing basketball, golf, track, and cross country at Kaukauna.
• Coming from Werribee, Australia, Holly Dolny stands as a 5-foot-8 guard. Dolny played club basketball for Wyndham Basketball under Gerard Hillier in Werribee and competed with Recruiting Boost, an Australian travel team, before coming to Rogers Park.
• Two-time MHSAA DI State Champion Kendall Hendrix earned All-League honors and All-Academic plaudits at West Bloomfield (Michigan) before joining the Maroon and Gold. Hendrix was also named a 2024 McDonald's All American Games Nominee her senior season.
• Rounding out LUC's freshman class is Brooklyn Vaughn, a native of Maumee, Ohio. The 6-foot-0 forward was named to the DII All-Ohio First Team in 2022-23 and Second Team in 2023-24. Vaughn collected District 7 Player of the Year, TRAC Player of the Year, and TRAC First Team accolades at Central Catholic.
• As for Loyola's incoming transfers, Guth scouted the country for talent that would make an immediate impact on the team. Rosalie Mercille, who transferred to Loyola after playing for Monmouth last season, averaged 16.8 minutes, 2.0 rebounds, and 6.4 points per game in 2023-24.
• Emma Theodorsson is a junior guard/forward who played two seasons at Bucknell. She averaged 27.6 minutes, 4.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.3 blocks, 0.4 steals and 10.4 points per game through those two seasons. Theodorsson was named the Patriot League Rookie of the Week twice and raked in Patriot League All-Rookie Team honors after averaging 7.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game her freshman year.
• Jess Finney, a senior shooting guard who brings a wealth of skill to Loyola's wing, played one season at Washington and two at San Diego before joining the Ramblers. The Phoenix native was third on the team (San Diego) last season in 3-point percentage as she cashed in 32-percent (26-for-81) of her shots from beyond the arc.
• The Ramblers' final transfer is Naelle Bernard, a former standout guard from Duquesne. A native of Paris, Bernard started 23 of the 30 games she played during the 2023-24 season. Likewise, she averaged 9.4 points per game, shooting 39-percent from the field and 38-percent from 3-point range.
• In addition to student-athletes, Guth added Assistant Coach Mai-Loni Henson and Director of Basketball Operations, George Buaku, to the Ramblers' team.
• Henson previously coached one season at Colorado College, helping the Tigers achieve their first 20-win season in 40 years and an appearance in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Championship Game. 
• Buaku comes to Rogers Park after serving as the Director of Player Development and Basketball Analytics for Sixth Man San Diego since 2020, a nonprofit basketball organization. Buaku has also worked as an Associate Analyst with HD Intelligence, offering strategic insights through opponent scouting, postgame analysis, and transfer portal management.     

BUY TICKETS NOW!
Catch every women's basketball game at Gentile Arena with a season ticket package! Season ticket options include reserved courtside seating for $180/seat and general admission seating for $81/seat. Single-game tickets are $10/each.

Courtside season tickets are the only reserved seats available. Courtside seats are located across from the team benches in front of Sections 108 and 110. The online system will automatically place you in the best courtside seats available. Please contact the Loyola ticket office at (773) 508-9653 to discuss specific seat locations. Click here to purchase. 

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