CHICAGO - The Loyola University Chicago women's basketball team hosts VCU for National Girls and Women in Sports Day this Saturday (Feb. 7) at Gentile Arena. Tip-off on ESPN+/Marquee Network is set for 2 p.m. with Sam Brief (play by play) and Karli Bell calling the action (color).

QUICK HITS

• The red hot Ramblers enter Saturday on a five-game win streak, the longest of Head Coach Allison Guth's tenure at Loyola.
• The Maroon and Gold most recently downed Fordham on the road, 47-42, to improve the team's record to .500 (11-11).
• With the win, Loyola sits in fourth place in the Atlantic 10.
• Loyola recorded its lowest point total in a win since defeating Bradley on Jan. 13, 2022 (48-41).
• Likewise, LUC held its foe to under 30 percent shooting for the first time this season.
• Loyola Chicago's only Atlantic 10 losses have come against the league's top teams: Rhode Island (first), George Mason (second), Richmond (third) and Davidson (fifth).
• Loyola has already surpassed last season's Atlantic 10 win total with seven league victories. The program's high under coach Allison Guth is eight A-10 wins, achieved in 2023-24.
• One of the hottest teams in the Atlantic 10, the Ramblers have won seven of their last eight games.
• Loyola Chicago is 5-3 when three players score in double figures and 3-0 when the team scores 70 or more points.
• LUC has had a better 3-point percentage than its foes in the last seven games. On Jan. 24 against Saint Louis, Loyola limited the Billikens to a measly 9.1 percentage behind the arc. 
• Bessette ranks 17th in the league in scoring at 12.2 points per game. She is second among freshmen, trailing only Duquesne's Alexis Bordas (15.2).
• The 'Blers are 8-0 when leading at the half.

2025-26 RAMBLER BITES

• The Ramblers aim to improve on last season's 13-17 ledger as Head Coach Allison Guth enters her fourth season at the helm.
• Guth compiled a 34–57 record over her first three seasons at LUC and enters 2025–26 with a 133–131 career mark after beginning her head-coaching tenure at Yale.
• Loyola Chicago returns eight letterwinners from the 204-25 roster. Additionally, Guth added five newcomers during the offseason.
• Over the summer, former Ramblers Thoranna Kika Hodge-Carr (Valur Körfubolti) and Naelle Bernard (AS Aulnoye Basket) signed professional contracts overseas.
• Six Ramblers have turned professional under Head Coach Allison Guth.
• Since 2010, nine Ramblers have gone on to sign professional contracts: Hodge-Carr, Bernard, Sitori Tanin, Sam Galanopoulos, Emma Nolan, Sophia Nolan, Troy Hambric, Taylor Manuel, Bre Hampton-Bey, and Allison Day.

SCOUTING VCU

• The Rams are 8-15 overall and 4-7 in the Atlantic 10.
• Most recently, VCU fell, 77-65, to Richmond at home.
• Katarina Kneževic led the team with 22 points and two other Rams reached double figures, but it wasn't enough.
• Kneževic paces the team on the boards with 4.7 rebounds per game. Additionally, she averages 10.2 points per game.
• As a team, VCU scores 58.3 points per contest and shoots the ball at a 38 percent clip.
• ALL-TIME AGAINST VCU
• Loyola trails in the all-time series, 1-3.
• Last season, Loyola Chicago logged its first-ever win over VCU and snapped an eight-game skid, beating the Rams, 52-50, on the road.
• Emma Theodorsson powered the Maroon and Gold's attack, scoring 22 points.
• Audrey Deptula delivered eight points off the bench and collected four rebounds.

LAST TIME OUT

• The Loyola Chicago women's basketball team erased a 10-point second-half deficit to defeat Fordham, 47-42, on the road Wednesday night at Rose Hill Gym, extending its winning streak to five games. The Ramblers improved to 11-11 overall and 7-4 in Atlantic 10 play, moving into fourth place in the conference standings behind a strong defensive effort that forced 19 turnovers and held Fordham to 27.8 percent shooting. Alexus Mobley led all scorers with 17 points on 6-for-7 shooting to go with four rebounds and two steals, while Alexa Kinas added 14 points, seven assists and a game-high five steals. Loyola shot 42.1 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from 3-point range, outscoring Fordham 33-24 in the second half and using a late 7-0 fourth-quarter run to secure the comeback victory.

ATLANTIC 10 PRESEASON POLL

• Richmond is the preseason favorite to win the 2025-26 Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball title, topping the coaches' poll for a second straight year. The Spiders return All-A-10 stars Maggie Doogan and Rachel Ullstrom after a 28-7 season and their first NCAA Tournament win.
• George Mason ranks second, followed by Davidson, Rhode Island, and Dayton. Saint Joseph's, VCU, Duquesne, Saint Louis, and George Washington complete the top 10. Fordham, La Salle, Loyola Chicago, and St. Bonaventure round out the poll.
• Doogan, Ullstrom, George Mason's Zahirah Walton and Kennedy Harris, and VCU's Mary-Anna Asare headline the Preseason All-Conference First Team.

RETURNING RAMBLERS

• Loyola Chicago returns eight from the 2024-25 roster: Yasmyn Palmer, Roisin Grandberry, Alexa Kinas, Audrey Deptula, Rosalie Mercille, Kendall Hendrix, Kira Chivers, and Brooklyn Vaughn.
• Key returners include senior point guard Kira Chivers who started 25 of 28 games in 2024–25, leading Loyola in steals per game (1.1) and ranking 16th in the A-10 in assists (2.9), with the league's 10th-best assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3). She scored in double figures six times, highlighted by a career-high 17 points and five rebounds vs. Northwestern, and delivered a season-best seven assists at Eastern Illinois.
• Another key returner, junior guard Rosalie Mercille, appeared in 20 games in 2024–25, returning from injury to contribute nine points in the Senior Day win vs. Saint Louis. She posted double-digit scoring twice, including 11 points at Eastern Illinois, and matched a season-high four rebounds three times. Mercille also recorded three assists in three straight games early in the season.
• Point guard Alexa Kinas played in 28 games with five starts as a freshman in 2024–25, logging the most minutes among Loyola newcomers. She shot .443 from the field, finishing second on the team in FG percentage, and tied for second in steals (29). Kinas scored seven points in her debut, posted a season-high 15 points vs. Richmond, and grabbed a season-best six rebounds twice.

FRESH FACES

• Alex-Anne Bessette is a three-time All-Canadian and AmeriCup silver medalist who helped Team Canada to silver at the 2024 FIBA U18 Women's Americas Championship. The 6-foot-2 Quebec City native led her prep team to the 2025 OSBA title and earned Second Team All-Star honors. She played on the elite Kia Nurse EYBL circuit.
• Alexus Mobley arrives as a graduate transfer from Akron after two seasons with the Zips and two at Danville Community College. The Indianapolis native started 38 games at Akron, averaging 9.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. She recorded career highs of 30 points and 17 rebounds during the 2024-25 season.
• Daniella Matus is a 1,000-point scorer who averaged 12.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in her final season at Morris Catholic. She helped St. John Vianney win a fourth straight Shore Conference Tournament title and reach the NJSIAA semifinals. Matus earned Morris County Tournament MVP honors, All-Tournament recognition at the John Wall National Christmas Tournament, and multiple all-conference awards, including NJAC First Team. She starred for Team Sharp on the AAU circuit and was a 2025 McDonald's All American Game nominee.
• Nevaeh Dickman is a 6-foot power forward from Fishers, Ind., rated a three-star prospect by 247Sports and ranked No. 6 in Indiana. She earned multiple all-state honors, including IBCA Senior Large School All-State, and HCC First Team All-Conference recognition.
• Clara Djoko, a 6-foot forward from Entzheim, France, transfers from UC Irvine, where she appeared in 55 games over two seasons. She contributed across the stat sheet, highlighted by games with four rebounds at Cal State Bakersfield and three steals in consecutive contests as a freshman.
• Assistant Coach Jasmyne Fogle joins Loyola after roles at Quinnipiac, Putnam Science Academy, and Iona. At Quinnipiac, she led operations, travel, logistics, video, marketing, and student support for three seasons. She previously assisted with coaching, recruiting, and academics at Putnam Science Academy and served as a graduate assistant at Iona. Fogle played collegiately at Franklin Pierce and Post University, earning All-CACC honors in 2018 before completing graduate degrees from Post and Iona.
• Assistant Coach Alyssa Fisher returns to Loyola after beginning her coaching career at Dartmouth, where she helped mentor an All-Ivy performer. As a Rambler in 2023–24, she led the team in threes, free throws, and steals while averaging 13.5 points per game, earning a selection to the WBCA So You Want To Be A Coach program. Fisher previously earned dual bachelor's degrees at St. Francis Brooklyn and an MBA at Loyola.
• Assistant Coach Adam Call arrives from George Washington following a four-year stint that included multiple A-10 Championship wins and development of all-conference and all-defensive selections. His 17-year coaching career includes stops at Eastern Michigan, Stony Brook, Washington, Northwestern, TCU, and Oklahoma, where he contributed to several postseason runs. He holds degrees from Oklahoma and TCU.

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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