Box Score

ST. CHARLES, Mo. - Taylor Johnson finished with 16 points, leading a group of four Ramblers to score in double figures, as Loyola held off a late charge to defeat Bradley, 67-55, in the opening round of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at the Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo. The Ramblers improve to 6-24 overall with the victory, while the Braves close the season with an identical record.

Sameia Kendall scored the game's first points with just under a minute gone to put the Braves on top (2-0). Taylor Manuel, who was named the Valley's Newcomer of the Year later in the evening, answered back with a bucket of her own to tie the game (2-2) with 18:36 to play in the first half. A deep three from Haley Van Cleave at the 17:17 mark gave Bradley a 5-2 lead that it would hold until Destiny Washington knocked down a jumper to give the Ramblers their first advantage of the afternoon (10-9) with 14:29 to play in the half.

Following a pair of free throws from Tamya Sims that gave Bradley the lead back momentarily (11-10), Loyola took off on a 12-2 run, bolstered by a pair of threes from Bailey Farley, to open up a 22-13 lead with five minutes to go in the first half. The lead increased to 11 (25-14) on two Johnson free throws before a Kendall steal led to a fast break score by Fantasia Vine, snapping a drought that saw the Braves going without a field goal for nearly 16 minutes. Johnson knocked down another pair at the line before Whitney Tinjum drained a jumper to cut the Ramblers' lead back down to nine (27-18) heading into halftime.

Loyola turned in a stout defensive effort in the opening stanza, limiting the Braves to only four field goals (14%) while operating at a 37% clip (10-of-27) on its end of the floor. Farley paced a balanced Loyola attack with nine points. Manuel and Johnson were close behind, chipping in six points each. Sims and Tinjum both finished with four points for Bradley.

Two makes at the charity stripe from Danielle Brewer helped pull the Braves back to within striking distance (29-22) in the early stages of the second half. A corner three from Becca Smith kickstarted a 6-0 spurt for the Ramblers that increased the margin to 15 (37-22) with six minutes gone. A split at the line from Manuel at the 11:42 mark gave the Maroon & Gold its largest lead of the game (44-26).

Loyola was able to keep the Braves at a distance as the half progressed, maintaining a 15 to 17-point advantage as the game entered its final eight minutes. After Johnson's second basket of the half made it a 52-35 lead, Bradley used an 11-0 run to charge back into the game, clawing to within six on a Sims score with 5:43 to play. The Ramblers responded with the next five points but Sims answered back with five of her own, three of which came off a banked in triple, to once again make it a six-point game (57-51) with three minutes to go. The Braves got no closer as Smith drained a clutch three on Loyola's next trip down the floor to boost the lead back up to nine (60-51). The Ramblers were able to put the game away from the free throw line in the final minutes, eliminating their rival to the south from the conference tournament for the second time in as many years.

Joining Johnson in double figures were Manuel (15 points), who just missed out on her ninth double-double of the season with nine rebounds, Farley (13 points) and Washington (11 points). Smith dished out a game-high eight assists in the win, while Ryaen Johnson came off the bench to record four blocks. Sims led all scorers in the contest with 19 points for the Braves.

Loyola moves on to face top-seed Wichita State, the Valley's regular season champion, in Friday's first quarterfinal at 12:05 p.m. in St. Charles, Mo.