Box Score (PDF)

In Short…
Loyola University Chicago chipped an early 14-point deficit down to only two points but was unable to complete the comeback as Southern Illinois earned a 62-46 victory this evening at the SIU Arena in Carbondale, Ill.  The Salukis move to 10-8 overall (5-2 MVC) with the win, while the Ramblers drop to 3-14 (1-5 MVC).
 
How It Happened
Southern Illinois took advantage of six early Loyola turnovers en route to building an early 7-0 lead following a triple by Makenzie Silvey with 7:11 remaining in the first quarter.  Katie Salmon finished inside to put Loyola on the board, 7-2, at the 3:15 mark.  Buckets from Jessica Cerda and Brandi Segars, respectively, chipped the margin to 9-6 before Silvey knocked down another three as time expired to give the hosts a 12-6 edge.
 
Silvey picked up right where she left off in the second quarter, knocking down a pair of attempts from distance as part of a 12-4 surge that saw the Southern Illinois lead balloon to 24-10 with 6:36 to play in the first half.  A pair of Cerda baskets bookended a Salmon post score following a Rambler timeout as the Maroon & Gold pulled to within 24-16.  A driving score by Kailyn Strawbridge in the half's final minutes sent Loyola into the locker room trailing by five points, 29-24.
 
Cerda connected on her first three of the evening only 10 seconds into the second half to cut the Southern Illinois lead to one possession, 29-27.  The Salukis answered back with the game's next 11 points to open up a 40-27 advantage and force a Loyola timeout.  Consecutive scores from Segars and Kat Nolan sliced the deficit to 40-31.  Abby O'Connor found her footing as the quarter progressed, converting on three straight trips as the Ramblers battled back to within seven, 46-39, with 2:30 remaining in the third quarter.  An Abby Brockmeyer layup snapped the Salukis' drought as Southern Illinois took a 49-39 lead into the fourth quarter.
 
Strawbridge knocked down a pair of attempts from the free throw line to cut the Southern Illinois lead into single digits, 49-41, with just over a minute gone in the fourth quarter.  The Salukis would respond with a 6-0 spurt that was punctuated by a Silvey mid-range score to widen the gap to 55-41 at the 7:00 mark and never looked back from there.
 
Inside The Box Score
- Cerda paced the Rambler attack on the night with nine points on 4-of-8 shooting.
- O'Connor ripped down a season-high 11 rebounds as she finished just two points shy of her first career double-double, chipping in eight points.
- One of the deciding factors this evening was the turnover battle as Southern Illinois turned 26 Loyola miscues into 22 points on the offensive end.  
- Brockmeyer and Silvey led the Salukis with 16 points apiece.   
 
Up Next
Loyola closes out its current road trip on Sunday afternoon against Missouri State at 2 p.m. from inside JQH Arena.