GAME INFORMATION
Final Score: Indiana State 48, Loyola 38
Records: Indiana State (10-6, 4-1 MVC); Loyola (2-14. 1-4 MVC)
Location: Gentile Arena -- Chicago, Ill.
Stats: Box Score  | Season Stats 

In Short…
The Loyola University Chicago women’s basketball team held visiting Indiana State to just under 28% shooting from the field but dealt with its own struggles on the offensive end as the Sycamores ultimately escaped Gentile Arena with a 48-38 victory this evening. Indiana State improves to 10-6 overall (4-1 MVC) with the win, while the Ramblers drop to 2-14 (1-4 MVC).

How It Happened
Two Kaitlyn Williams free throws put Loyola on the board first, 2-0, with only 44 seconds gone. Brandi Segars found an open Katie Salmon at the top of the key just over five minutes later as Salmon connected to give the Ramblers a 7-4 edge. Following a pair of Tiara Wallace makes from the charity stripe that pushed the Loyola advantage to 10-6, Wendi Bibbins converted in traffic to trim the margin to 10-8 after one.

Williams got the Ramblers off and running again to begin the second quarter as she drove in for two to up the lead to 12-8. Salmon finished in the paint to put Loyola back in front, 16-14, after back-to-back scores from Bibbins and Tierra Webb had pulled the Sycamores even. With the Rambler lead sitting at 18-17 after two Segars free throws, Ashley Taia scored five of the frame’s final six points to send Indiana State into halftime with a 22-19 edge.

Indiana State came out of the locker room hot as two Taia treys provided the bookends for a 9-2 Sycamore run that saw the Loyola deficit grow to 31-21 at the 4:59 mark. Salmon answered a three by Rhagen Smith with a triple of her own to cut the Sycamores’ lead back down to 10, 34-24, with 3:19 to play. That would prove to be as close as the Ramblers would get for the remainder of the quarter as Indiana State took a 38-24 advantage into the final 10 minutes.

Williams drained her first three of the evening just over a minute into the fourth quarter to slice the margin to 13, 40-27. After another Smith triple that upped the Indiana State lead to 45-28, Loyola slowly began to chip away. Wallace knocked down a pair of free throws to cut the deficit down to single digits, 47-38, but time ultimately run out on the Ramblers’ comeback.

Inside The Box Score
- Offense came at a premium throughout the night as the two teams combined to shoot just under 26% (26-of-101) from the field.
- Salmon paced Loyola on the evening with a team-high 14 points, marking the sixth time this season that the Wauwatosa, Wis. native has reached double figures in scoring.
- Segars collected a team-best six rebounds, while Citiana Negatu dished out three assists.
- Taia led the Sycamores with a game-high 17 points.

Up Next
Loyola opens up a two-game road swing through the state of Iowa on Friday evening when it visits Des Moines, Iowa for a meeting with preseason MVC favorite Drake. Tip-off from the Knapp Center is scheduled for 7 p.m.