Nov. 29, 2007

Box Score

Bloomington, Ill. - Host Illinois State used a 25-6 run that bridged both halves and never looked back in an 82-51 win over Loyola tonight at Redbird Arena in Bloomington, Ill. The Ramblers drop to 1-5 with the loss while the Redbirds, who were receiving votes in the latest national poll, improve to 5-1 with the win.

"There is a reason why Illinois State was receiving votes in the national poll and they have a very solid team with experience at nearly every position," said head coach Shannon Reidy. "Again, we did not execute well, offensively, and it is something that we must get better at. I thought we did a nice job handling their pressure with Keisha (Collins) and Maggie (McCloskey) but we missed a bunch of lay-ups and never got into an offensive flow."

Loyola struggled out of the gate to find the basket and Jana Lucas got the Ramblers on the board after two minutes with a pair of free throws. Elyse VanBogaert hit LU's first field goal at the 15:30 mark and a Jessica Hylton three-pointer from the corner pulled the Ramblers within a point (8-7) after six minutes. Hoops from Collins and McCloskey kept Loyola within striking distance, as the teams finally settled in. A Shala Jackson hoop pushed the Redbirds lead to double digits for the first time (24-13) but the Ramblers held tough, using another Hylton trey and a VanBogaert hoop to draw within a dozen, 30-18, with just over three minutes left, as they looked to gain some momentum heading into halftime. However, it was Illinois State that closed strong, taking a 38-22 halftime lead.

The Redbirds broke the game open at the start of the second half, using their transition game to carry them, and an Ashleen Bracey hoop capped the 25-6 run that gave ISU a 55-24 lead just over five minutes into the second half. After hitting just 10 of their first 40 from the floor, Loyola began to assert itself and strung together five consecutive possessions with buckets, including two McCloskey threes, but Illinois State was too much.

Hylton led the way for Loyola with a season-high 11 points and was joined in double figures by VanBogaert (10 points, five rebounds). McCloskey added nine points and a career-high six rebounds.

Loyola continues its road swing with a Saturday evening (7 p.m.) tilt at Eastern Illinois.