Box Score

PEORIA, Ill. - Taylor Johnson poured in a season-high 29 points and Taylor Manuel added 17 of her own as Loyola downed in-state rival Bradley, 67-54, in the Missouri Valley Conference opener for both teams this evening at Renaissance Coliseum in Peoria, Ill. With the win, Loyola's first in Peoria since 1993, the Ramblers improve to 5-7 (1-0 Missouri Valley), while the Braves fall to 4-8 (0-1 Missouri Valley).

Loyola leaned heavily on its defense to get off to a strong start in the first quarter. A layup just 16 seconds in from Manuel put the Maroon & Gold in front, 2-0, and ignited an 8-0 game-opening run for the Ramblers that was capped off by back-to-back buckets from Johnson. Whitney Tinjum drained a pair of free throws at the 3:27 mark before consecutive scores from Manuel upped the Rambler lead to double digits, 12-2, just under a minute later. Tinjum knocked down Bradley's first field goal of the night with 1:49 to go, converting on an old-fashioned three-point play, to spark a 7-2 spurt that saw the Braves close to within five, 14-9, at the end of the first quarter.

Two more Tinjum makes from the charity stripe pulled Bradley level, 14-14, for the first time since it was 0-0 two minutes into the second frame. Brandi Segars answered back on Loyola's next trip down the floor, knocking down a long two to put the Ramblers on top, 16-14. Katie Salmon extended the lead to four, 20-16, off of a great find by Johnson before the Braves rattled off eight unanswered points to take a 24-20 edge with 2:19 to go. The lead would be short lived as Johnson put the Ramblers back in front, 25-24, when she converted an old-fashioned three-point play with under a minute to play. Following a split at the line by Tinjum that tied the game at 25, Manuel beat the buzzer to send Loyola into halftime with a 27-25 advantage.

Loyola finished the first half at just under 38% (11-of-29) from the field, while holding Bradley to only a 25% (5-of-20) clip. The Braves were able to keep the game close from beyond the three-point arc, hitting on a pair of triples, and at the free throw line, where they converted on 13 of their 17 attempts (77%). Manuel led Loyola with 10 points in the first 20 minutes, while Johnson was close behind with nine points and a team-high four assists. Manuel and Ryaen Johnson wreaked havoc on the defensive end, each accounting for three of Loyola's seven first-half blocks.

After Kat Yelle knotted things up at 27-27 early on in the third quarter, Loyola's offense exploded for a 14-2 run, highlighted by a pair of three-point plays from Manuel, that saw the lead balloon to 12 (41-29) with 6:04 remaining. A split at the line from the St. Louis, Mo. product upped the margin to 13 (44-31) at the 5:02 mark. Bradley would slowly chip away, pulling to within five, 50-45, when Leti Lerma got a friendly bounce on her mid-range jumper with 45 seconds to go. Johnson converted on two more free throws shortly after to make it 52-45 entering the fourth quarter.

Both teams looked to make a run to begin the final frame. Johnson answered a Tinjum layup to open the quarter with a driving score of her own and a deep triple that pushed the lead back in double figures, 57-47, at the 5:40 mark. The Braves clawed to within five again, 57-52, on Tamya Sims' final make of the night. An 8-0 Loyola run, four of which came Johnson, followed shortly after, extinguishing any hopes of a Bradley comeback as Loyola picked up its third straight victory.

Johnson, the reigning Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week, was fantastic, surpassing her previous season-high by five points as she finished 10-of-15 from the field and a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line. The Frankfort, Ill. native dished out a team-high six assists, just one more than Manuel, who pulled down eight rebounds to go along with her scoring output. Tinjum paced the Bradley attack with 15 points.

The Ramblers will go in search of their fourth straight victory on Friday night when they travel to Evansville, Ind. to take on the Evansville Purple Aces. Tip-off from the Ford Center is set for 7 p.m.