Box Score

WICHITA, Kan. - Simone Law scored a team-high 16 points as Wichita State held off a second-half charge to defeat Loyola, 64-55, this evening at Koch Arena in Wichita, Kan. The Shockers move to 19-4 overall (10-1 Missouri Valley) with the win, while the Ramblers drop to 4-19 (2-10 Missouri Valley) on the year.

Following a long jumper from Alex Harden that opened the scoring, a split at the free throw line by Law put Loyola on the board (2-1) with 18:07 to play in the first half. Wichita State, who came into the game ranked third nationally in points per game allowed, frustrated the Ramblers on the offensive end of the floor, not allowing a Loyola make from the field until the 15:08 mark when Law muscled up a shot in the paint to cut the Shocker lead to four (7-3). The lead would balloon to eleven for the first time on a pair of different occasions in the half when Harden, voted the Valley's Preseason Player of the Year, finished off an old-fashioned three-point play to make it 14-3 with just under seven minutes gone.

A Becca Smith free throw broke a 2:48 scoring drought for the Ramblers before Law rattled home a jumper to bring the Ramblers back to within eight (14-6) with 11:55 to play in the first half. Taylor Johnson answered a Harden three-pointer by banking home a triple of her own on Loyola's next possession to bring the margin back down to eight (17-9). Sam Lambrigtsen's first of a career-best three three-pointers made it a five-point game (24-19) with 2:28 remaining. The freshman out of Oregon, Ill. knocked down a long two-point shot on Loyola's final possession of the half before Harden hit a pair from the charity stripe to send the hosts into halftime with a 28-21 advantage.

Johnson and Lambrigtsen each chipped in seven first-half points to lead the charge for the Maroon & Gold in the opening stanza, with the latter of the two also grabbing a team-high four rebounds. Loyola finished the half at just a tick under 35% (8-of-23) from the field, while the Shockers were slightly slight better at 38% (11-of-29). Harden was the only player to reach in double figures in the first half, scoring 12 points.

Loyola wasted little time in going on the attack in the second half. The Ramblers opened the half on a 7-2 run, capped off by a three-point play from Taylor Manuel, to storm back to within two (30-28) with 17:42 to play. Wichita State answered back, pushing their lead back up to six on two occasions four minutes. Another Lambrigtsen trey once again had the Ramblers within one possession (36-33) of the preseason league favorite at the 12:37 mark.

The game stayed with a three to five-point range over the next two-plus minutes until Jamillah Bonner's driving layup with just over ten minutes to play ignited a 10-0 Shocker run that saw the Wichita State lead rocket to 13 (50-37), prompting a Rambler timeout after Michaela Dapprich's bucket with 7:51 to play in regulation. Bonner drained her team's third and final three-point basket of the evening with 4:42 remaining to give Wichita State its largest lead (56-42) of the game. The Ramblers looked to mount a late comeback, battling back to within seven points twice, but Harden calmly put home six straight free throws in the final minute to seal her team's 14th consecutive home victory.

Law added a team-best seven rebounds to go along with her scoring output on the night. She was joined in double figures by Lambrigtsen and Manuel, who finished with 15 and 10 points, respectively. Harden poured in 20 points to lead all scorers, including a perfect 9-of-9 mark from the charity stripe.

Loyola returns to action on Sunday evening when it takes on the Missouri State Lady Bears in Springfield, Mo. Tip-off from JQH Arena is slated for 7:05 p.m. in a game that will be available on ESPN3.