Box Score

EVANSTON, Ill. - Host Northwestern jumped out to a big lead in the first half and never looked back, downing Loyola by a final score of 70-33 this afternoon at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill. The Wildcats continue their perfect start to the 2014-15 campaign, moving to 7-0, while the Ramblers fall to 2-5 overall.

A split at the free throw line from Ryaen Johnson put Loyola on the board first (1-0) with just over two minutes gone. Alex Cohen and Taylor Johnson traded layups at each end as the Ramblers held a 3-2 lead at the 16:58 mark of the first half. Northwestern then raced off on a 8-0 run to take a seven-point lead (10-3) with 14:10 to play in the half. Sam Lambrigtsen's three-point bucket shortly after brought a halt to the scoreless drought for the Ramblers but the Wildcats continued to apply pressure, taking off on a 12-0 spurt as the half wore on that saw the deficit balloon to 23 (31-8) with 6:23 to play. Christen Inman's layup just before halftime sent Northwestern into the locker room with a 43-15 lead.

Loyola struggled mightily from the field in the opening stanza as it was held to only a 20 percent (6-of-30) clip from the field, while Northwestern set the nets on fire, finishing the half at just over 58 percent (18-of-31). Johnson and Molly Crosby each had four points to lead Loyola in the opening 20 minutes. Inman and Nia Coffey led a balanced Wildcat attack with 10 points apiece.

Lambrigtsen looked to get Loyola's offense moving in the right direction when she nailed her second trey of the game with 18:05 to play in regulation, bringing the margin back under 30 (45-18). Like in the first half, Northwestern gradually distanced itself, pushing the lead over the 40-point plateau (61-20) with roughly ten minutes remaining. The Wildcats' lead would hover around that mark for the remainder of the game as Northwestern claimed its seventh-straight victory to open the season.

A bright spot of the second half was the play of Tiana Karopulos, who scored all of her team-high eight points in the final 20 minutes. Ryaen Johnson was also very active on both ends of the floor for the Maroon & Gold as the freshman came down with a game-best 12 rebounds to go along with two blocks and two steals. Alex Cohen led four Wildcats to score in double figures with 14 points.

The Ramblers will take the coming week off for final exams before returning to the friendly confines of Gentile Arena next Sunday afternoon (Dec. 14) when they host the No. 16/16 Michigan State Spartans. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. from Rogers Park.