In Short…
Loyola University Chicago jumped out to an early double-digit lead and never looked back as it defeated Concordia (IL) by a final count of 91-56 in its lone exhibition game this evening inside Gentile Arena. 
 
How It Happened
Following a pair of Tiara Wallace free throws that knotted the score up at 6-6 early on, a layup from Katie Salmon sparked an 8-0 run that saw Loyola take a 14-6 lead at the 2:46 mark of the first quarter.  A corner triple from Jessica Cerda shortly after helped put the Ramblers in front, 18-8, following the opening 10 minutes of play.
 
Wallace knocked down a transition three to push the margin to 21-10 with 8:45 remaining in the first half.  Treys on consecutive trips from the tandem of Ellie Rice and Abby O'Connor upped Loyola's lead to 14 (31-17) as the Maroon & Gold ultimately sprinted into halftime with a commanding 38-19 advantage. 
 
Another O'Connor bucket with 7:18 to go in the third quarter gave the Ramblers their largest lead of the game up to that point, 47-23.  Concordia closed to within 55-37 on a post score by Sophia Leon before Loyola finished the frame with a 6-0 spurt to open up a 61-37 lead at the end of the three quarters.
 
The Ramblers' lead would grow to 35 points, 82-47, following a three from Kailyn Strawbridge at the 4:05 mark of the fourth quarter.  Lauren Segars would add a triple of her own in the final minute of play to give Loyola an 88-53 cushion en route to a thorough victory. 
 
Inside The Box Score
- O'Connor paced the Loyola attack on the night with a double-double performance of 16 points and 14 rebounds.  The freshman also came away with a game-high four blocks and dished out a pair of assists.
- Also reaching double figures in scoring on the evening for the Ramblers was the trio of Strawbridge (14 points), who also finished with a game-high six assists, Cerda (13 points) and Rice (10 points). 
- Loyola used a sparkling defensive effort in the first half to help build its lead as it held the visiting Cougars to only a 19% clip (8-of-42) from the field.
- Taylor Jacobson finished with a game-high 21 points to lead Concordia.
 
Up Next
Loyola officially opens the 2017-18 regular season on Sunday afternoon when it hits the road to take on Fort Wayne.  Tip-off from inside the Gates Sports Center is set for 1 p.m. (CT).