Box Score (PDF)

In Short…
Led by a trio of scorers in double figures, Loyola University Chicago picked up a 62-53 victory over visiting Southern Illinois this afternoon at Gentile Arena.  The victory, Loyola's fourth in Valley play this season, moves the Ramblers to 6-19 (4-10 MVC), while the Salukis slip to 14-12 (9-6 MVC).
 
How It Happened
Loyola looked to carry over its hot shooting from Friday night, with Abby O'Connor and Jessica Cerda each knocking down threes to send the Ramblers out to a 6-0 lead with just under 90 seconds gone. Southern Illinois battled back to tie the game on a pair of separate occasions as part of an opening frame that saw both teams shoot well over 50 percent, but an O'Connor reverse layup at the 3:39 mark put Loyola back on top for the remainder of the quarter as the Ramblers opened up a 21-19 edge.
 
Following a Kristen Nelson layup that evened the score at 21 all, Kailyn Strawbridge connected on a three before Tiara Wallace finished at the rim to give the Maroon & Gold a 26-21 advantage and force a Saluki timeout with 7:01 remaining.  Katie Salmon converted on a second-chance opportunity just before the midway point of the quarter to push Loyola's lead into double figures, 31-21, as the Ramblers headed into halftime on top, 35-30.
 
Loyola came out firing to begin the second half as a Strawbridge three that was followed by a long two from Cerda upped the Ramblers' lead to 40-30.  Strawbridge finished on a put back to stretch the margin to 45-32 with 6:25 to play.  Slowly but surely, Southern Illinois would chip away.  The Salukis went nearly five and a half minutes without a made field goal but were able to pull closer from the charity stripe, battling back to within 49-42 at the end of the third quarter.
 
Kylie Giebelhausen opened the final frame with a make from distance to quickly trim the Loyola lead to 49-45.  With the margin sitting at 52-48, Kat Nolan, who earned the first start of her career, finished a hook shot in the late to reestablish a six-point edge for the Ramblers at 54-48 with 4:24 remaining.  Nolan came up with another big bucket with only 1:19 to play off of a feed by O'Connor to put Loyola up six again, 56-50, as the Ramblers were able to ice the game from the free throw line. 
 
Inside The Box Score
- For the second time in as many games, Cerda paced the Rambler attack, leading all scorers with a season-high tying 19 points.  The Streamwood, Ill. native knocked down a team-high four shots from beyond the three-point arc.
- O'Connor chipped in 14 points along with six rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals.  Strawbridge, who missed Friday's game with Missouri State due to injury, returned to the Rambler lineup by scoring 13 points and dishing out six assists, finishing one off of her season-high in the latter category.
- Salmon collected a game-best nine rebounds to go along with four points, while Wallace came off the bench to contribute eight points, six rebounds and an assist.
- After shooting nearly 70 percent (9-of-13) in the first quarter, Southern Illinois was held to only 26.8 percent shooting (11-of-41) over the final 30 minutes thanks to an impressive effort by Loyola on the defensive end of the floor.
- Nicole Martin finished with 15 points to lead the Salukis. 
 
Up Next
Loyola closes the road portion of its Valley slate next weekend with a swing through the state of Indiana that features matchups with Evansville (February 23) and Indiana State (February 25).