GAME INFORMATION
Final Score: Loyola 83, Southern Illinois 59
Records: Loyola (11-10, 7-3 MVC); Southern Illinois (13-9, 6-4 MVC)
Location: Gentile Arena -- Chicago, Ill.
Stats: Box Score | Season Stats
Watch: Postgame Comments | Highlights

In Short...
Loyola raced out to a 12-point halftime lead and never looked back as it rolled past in-state rival Southern Illinois, 83-59, this evening at Gentile Arena. The win sees the Ramblers climb back up over the .500 mark at 11-10 overall (7-3 Missouri Valley), while the Salukis slip to 13-9 (6-3 Missouri Valley).

How It Happened
Back-to-back layups from Dakota Vann and Nieka Wheeler gave Loyola its first lead of the night, 4-2, with just over 90 seconds gone. Southern Illinois jumped back in front, 7-6, on a Kylie Giebelahusen triple with 6:58 to go and held that lead until a steal and score by Taylor Johnson gave Loyola a 16-15 edge at the 1:49 mark. Grace Goodhart capped off the quarter with her first three of the night as Loyola held a four-point lead, 21-17, after one.

Following a long two from Rishonda Napier that pulled the visitors within four, 25-21, with 7:46 remaining in the second quarter, Loyola used an 8-0 run that was capped off by a Vann score to open up a 12-point lead, 33-21, with 4:16 to go. After a spurt that saw the Salukis cut the margin to seven, 37-30, Loyola scored the last five points of the half, with the final three coming on a buzzer-beater from Goodhart, to take a 42-30 lead into the break.

Loyola kept its foot on the gas to begin the third quarter. Consecutive scores from Manuel and Wheeler set the tone for a stretch that saw the Maroon & Gold up the lead to 21, 54-33, with six minutes to play. The Salukis closed back to within 18 (56-38) on a split at the charity stripe by Kim Nebo but Johnson quickly responded with two makes from the line at the other end to bump the Loyola advantage back to 20 (58-38). Two more Johnson free throws with 18 seconds remaining capped off a dominant quarter for the Ramblers that helped them take a 67-43 lead into the final frame.

Johnson opened the quarter with a pair of scores as the Ramblers continued to operate at a high rate on the offensive end. A put back by Vann with 7:36 remaining increased the Loyola lead to 27 (75-48), the largest lead the Ramblers would hold on the evening. Southern Illinois would get no closer than 22 for the remainder of the night as Loyola completed a regular-season sweep of its neighbor to the south.

Inside The Box Score
- Johnson paced the Rambler attack on the evening with a game-high 26 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field and a 10-of-13 mark at the free throw line.
- Manuel wasn't far behind her fellow redshirt junior, pouring in 21 points of her own and finishing just a rebound away from a double-double as she collected nine caroms.
- Vann added 10 points of her own in the victory, reaching double figures in scoring for a fourth straight game and ninth time this season.
- The Ramblers dominated a handful of statistical categories but none more so than points in the paint, where they owned a staggering 52-18 advantage, finishing just two points off of their season-high in the category.
- Loyola's 83 points scored on the night were only five short of the team's season-high for a single game, set back on Dec. 21 in an 88-75 victory over then No. 16/15 DePaul.

Up Next
Loyola looks for a weekend sweep on Sunday afternoon when it wraps up a four-game homestand against Evansville. Tip-off against the Purple Aces is scheduled for 2 p.m. from inside Gentile Arena.