Jan. 19, 2014
Postgame Comments | Box Score | 
Photo Gallery
CHICAGO - Becca Smith scored a game-high 24 points, including 14 in the second half, and Troy Hambric notched the fifth double-double of her career as Loyola turned in a gritty effort to defeat Bradley, 73-63, this afternoon inside Gentile Arena. With the win, the Ramblers improve to 7-10 (3-2 Missouri Valley), while the Braves dip to 4-12 (1-4 Missouri Valley).
Bradley jumped out to an early five-point advantage (5-0) before Loyola ran off eight of the next ten points to take its first lead of the day (8-7) with 14:48 remaining in the opening half. A three by Smith, one of her three on the afternoon, pushed the Rambler lead to eight (22-14) with 7:55 left to play in the half. Katie Faught added a three-point shot of her own to bring the lead into double-digits (25-14) less than a minute later.
Defensively, Loyola used eight blocks in the first half, highlighted by four from Molly Crosby, to frustrate a Bradley offense that came into the game averring a league-leading 73.1 points per game. The Ramblers continued to widen the gap, extending the lead to 17 (34-17) after Hambric connected on a mid-range jumper. A bucket from Katie Faught closed the scoring in the first half and gave Loyola a 42-21 lead heading into the locker room. The homestanding Ramblers shot 47.4% (18-of-38) from the field in the first stanza, while holding Bradley to a 20.6% (7-of-34) clip.
The Braves came out of the locker room with a renewed intensity on both ends of the floor and quickly went to work on cutting down the Loyola lead. An 18-6 run, punctuated by a layup by Kelsey Budd, brought Bradley back to within nine (48-39) at the 15:27 mark of the second half. Smith answered with a three on the other end before Lyndsey Booker chimed in with a bucket of her own to build the lead back up to 14 (53-39) with 14:08 to play. Bradley answered, slicing the lead down to seven (58-51) after a layup by Aly Spinas-Valainis.
With Loyola looking for a spark to close the game, it would be Smith and Faught who would step up in a big way down the stretch. Faught drained a long-distance three to bring the lead back up to ten (61-51) with 7:23 remaining. Smith followed that up with an old-fashioned three-point play on Loyola's next possession. Faught's final three of the night was a dagger to any Bradley comeback hopes as it put Loyola up 16 (71-55) with 2:36 to play and allowed the Ramblers to cruise to their third conference victory.
Smith finished with 24 points, one off her career-high, while also grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out three assists. Hambric (20) and Faught (15) also finished in double-figures for Loyola. Hambric also tore down a team-high 12 rebounds. Crosby (5) and Cate Soane (4) were a force on the defensive end, finishing with a combined nine blocks. Michelle Young and Fantasia Vine led the way for Bradley with 15 points each.
Following a 2-1 homestand, Loyola will now embark on a two-game road swing through the state of Iowa next weekend. That trip begins with a matchup against the Drake Bulldogs on Friday night (Jan. 24). Tip-off is set for 7:05 p.m. from the Knapp Center in Des Moines, Iowa.
