Box Score

CHICAGO - Central Michigan used a 14-4 third-quarter run to distance itself from Loyola en route to a 68-59 win this evening inside Gentile Arena. The win sees the Chippewas continue their perfect start to the season at 4-0, while the Ramblers fall to 1-3 overall.

Boasting one of the nation's top offensive attacks entering the game, Central Michigan struggled to find its rhythm early on against a stingy Loyola defense. Following a layup from Jewel Cotton to open the scoring, back-to-back buckets from Nieka Wheeler and Taylor Manuel coupled with a deep triple from Dakota Vann had the Ramblers up five, 7-2, with 5:23 to play. Loyola managed to keep the Chippewa offense quiet for the next few minutes but two threes from Jasmine Harris and one from Presley Hudson put Central Michigan back in front, 14-12, with 1:51 remaining. Loyola briefly reclaimed the lead, 16-14, on a Wheeler layup with just over a minute to go before Hudson drained another three-point basket to give the visitors a 17-16 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Offense was at a premium in a second quarter that featured a combined 19 points. Manuel used a smooth low-post move to give Loyola a one-point edge, 18-17, with less than 30 seconds gone. Central Michigan answered with the next four points, going back in front, 21-18, on Hudson's third three-pointer of the half with 6:17 to go. Vann pulled the Ramblers even, 23-23, with 1:56 to play before Wheeler knocked down a pair from the charity stripe to get the Ramblers on top by a pair, 25-23, with 45 seconds remaining before halftime. The Chippewas scored the final four points of the half, the last two of which came on a Cotton buzzer beater, to go into the break up by a count of 27-25.

After Cotton and Wheeler traded low-post scores to open the half, a deep three from Cassie Breen sparked the aforementioned run that saw Central Michigan stretch its lead to 12 (41-29) on another Hudson triple at the 6:09 mark. Taylor Johnson knifed through the defense to finish at the rim less than 30 seconds later to cut the margin back down to 10 (41-31) but the visitors answered with the game's next six points to open up a 16-point edge (47-31), their largest lead of the night, with 3:46 to play. Vann's third three of the game cut the lead to 11 (47-36) with 2:44 remaining but Loyola would get no closer for the remainder of the third quarter as the Chippewas took a 53-38 lead into the final frame.

Loyola struggled to make a dent in its deficit as the fourth quarter got underway. Consecutive scores from Johnson pulled the Maroon & Gold to within 11 (57-46) with five minutes to play in regulation. A layup from Manuel cut the Chippewa lead back down to single digits, 59-50, for the first time since the early stages of the third quarter just over 90 seconds later. With time ticking away, Loyola continued to battle. Threes from Vann and Grace Goodhart had the margin down to seven on pair of different occasions but that proved to be as close as the Ramblers could get before time ran out.

Johnson led a group of four Ramblers to score in double figures with 13 points to go along with a season-high seven assists. Manuel (12 points, 13 rebounds) and Wheeler (11 points, 10 rebounds) each notched their first double-doubles of the year, while Vann, who chipped in 12 points, recorded six blocks, finishing just one off Loyola's single-game record in the category. Cotton closed the night with 19 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Central Michigan attack.

Loyola returns to the Gentile Arena hardwood on Saturday afternoon when it hosts Lamar to continue a four-game homestand. Tip-off against the Cardinals is set for 3 p.m. from Rogers Park.