Dec. 2, 2009

Box Score

Wichita, Kan. - Elyse VanBogaert pumped in a season-high 19 points but Loyola missed 12 of its final 14 shots from the floor and suffered a 62-54 loss to Wichita State tonight at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita. Loyola drops to 4-2 while the host Shockers improve to 4-1 on the season.

"I am proud of how hard we played tonight," said head coach Eric Simpson. "We battled hard and gave ourselves a chance to win the game down the stretch. I thought we were able to get some good looks but, unfortunately, we just did not knock them down tonight."

VanBogaert was the story of the first half for Loyola, almost single-handedly keeping the Ramblers in the game. She scored 10 straight LU points over a six-minute stretch and, moments later, knocked down her first three-pointer of the season to bring the Ramblers within a deuce, 23-21, with 7:34 on the clock. Wichita State extended its lead to as many as nine in the period but LU dug in defensively, outscoring WSU 11-4 over the last six minutes and headed to the locker room trailing 34-32. VanBogaert was terrific in the opening 20 minutes, as she hit her first seven shots en route to a 15-point effort.

Two Brittany Boeke buckets early in the second half drew the Ramblers even at 36 but the Shockers were slowly able to rebuild their league, eventually taking a 52-43 lead on a Chynna Turner basket. However, Loyola battled back again, using a Monica Albano three-pointer and a Keisha Collins three-point play to get within three and the Ramblers moved into a 52-all tie when Katie Kortekamp hit Ellen Ayoub for a bucket inside.

Kortekamp split two free throws after a terrific hustle play to give LU a 53-52 lead at the 4:40 mark and it was tied at 53 when WSU's Haleigh Lankster banked in a three-pointer high off the glass from just inside the corner to give the Shockers a 56-53 lead. Boeke split two from the line to make it a 56-54 game but Lankster knocked down another three on the ensuing possession and the Ramblers would not score again.

VanBogaert cooled off a little bit in the second half but still finished with a team-high 19 points to lead the Ramblers, who shot a season-worst 40% from the floor. Albano played another strong game, finishing with nine points and four rebounds while Boeke and Collins (2-11 FGs) added seven apiece.

Loyola returns to the Windy City for a Sunday evening (5 p.m.) battle with DePaul in Lincoln Park.