Dec. 29, 2011

Box Score

MILWAUKEE, Wis. - In the Horizon League opener, Loyola defeated Milwaukee, 81-73, tonight at the Klotsche Center in Milwaukee, Wis. With the win, the Ramblers improve to 6-6, 1-0 Horizon League, while the Panthers fall to 4-7, 0-1 Horizon League.

Milwaukee won the opening tip and jumped to a 10-4 lead, before Monica Albano hit a three-pointer, and Lauren Hibbard drilled a layup and sank a free throw to tie the score at 10. The two teams traded points for the remainder of the period before the Ramblers broke out to an 8-3 run in the final minutes of the first to manage a 33-27 lead into halftime.

Loyola extended its lead to 10 (39-29) early in the second half behind Albano and Hibbard before a drive by Patrice King set the Ramblers even farther apart with an 18-point lead (62-44). Milwaukee sliced the lead down to only four with less than a minute left in the game, however, King and Hambric knocked down four free throws in the final 40 seconds to seal the game.

Law and King combined for 39 of 81 points for the Ramblers, scoring 29 of those in the second period. Law finished with a double-double, scoring a team-high 22 points and collecting 10 rebounds. King added 17 points, while Troy Hambric tallied 16. Hibbard came off the bench to total all of the bench's 13 points and also notched 10 rebounds for the first double-double of her career.

The Ramblers are back in action on Saturday, Dec. 31 at Green Bay. Tip is set for 2 p.m.