In Short…
Janae Gonzales surpassed the 20-point mark for the second time in three games as Loyola University Chicago rebounded from a sluggish start to down Eastern Illinois (1-2), 67-51, this afternoon at Lantz Arena in Charleston, Ill.  Today's victory moves the Ramblers to 3-0 on the year, matching the program's best start to a season since 2011-12.
 
How It Happened
Eastern Illinois came out firing on all cylinders, opening the game on a 9-0 run that was capped off by a Lariah Washington three with just under two minutes gone.  An Abby O'Connor triple got Loyola on the board at the 7:10 mark, but the Panthers continued to push, reestablishing an eight-point lead, 14-6, on a Jordyn Hughes layup.  Jala Johnson converted on an old-fashioned three-point play to trim the margin to three, 14-11, before the Panthers closed the frame with five unanswered points to take a 19-11 advantage into the second quarter.
 
Another O'Connor three and consecutive scores from Johnson quickly saw Loyola climb back within one, 19-18, with 8:19 remaining in the first half.  Eastern Illinois would continue to cling to a lead until Kat Nolan finished inside to give Loyola a 25-24 edge with 4:03 to play.  Gonzales connected on her third three of the half to punctuate a 9-0 Rambler run that saw the visitors open up a 30-24 lead.  Eastern Illinois would finish with a flurry of its own, chipping the margin down to one, 30-29, at halftime.
 
Allison Day knocked down on a jumper in the paint to give the Maroon & Gold a five-point lead, 38-33, with 6:56 to go in the third quarter.  With the margin sitting at 38-35, Loyola stepped on the gas.  A Nolan layup sparked an 11-0 surge, highlighted by two more triples from Gonzales, as the Ramblers opened up a 49-35 advantage, prompting an Eastern Illinois timeout, as it went on to take a 51-39 lead into the fourth quarter.
 
Gonzales picked up right where she left off in the previous frame, opening up the fourth quarter with her sixth three of the afternoon to stretch the gap to 54-39 at the 9:15 mark.  Following a Washington layup that pulled the Panthers back within 61-47 with four minutes to play, Loyola put away any hopes Eastern Illinois had for a comeback, with Gonzales connecting again from distance ahead of an O'Connor post score that gave the Ramblers their largest lead of the day, 66-47, en route to victory.
 
Inside The Box Score
- Gonzales finished 8-of-14 from the field and 7-of-12 from three as she finished with a game-high 24 points.  This afternoon's showing marked the sophomore's fifth career 20-plus point effort and is the 10^th game of her career in which she has hit on at least three triples.
- Nolan came off the bench to add 13 points (6-9 FGs, 1-1 FTs) in addition to seven rebounds, an assist, a block, and a steal.  Loyola finished the day with a 21-7 edge in bench points.
- O'Connor reached double figures in scoring for a 17^th straight game, a streak that dates back to January 27, 2019, as she chipped in 12 points (4-12 FGs, 2-5 3FGs, 2-2 FTs), eight rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and a steal.
- After seeing Eastern Illinois operate at a 61.5 percent (8-of-13) clip in the first quarter, Loyola clamped down on the defensive end, holding the hosts to just 25 percent (10-of-40) shooting from the second quarter on.
- Karle Pace scored 17 points (7-13 FGs, 1-4 3FGs, 2-3 FTs) to lead the Panthers in defeat.
 
Up Next
Loyola will make the short trek south to take on Chicago State at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at the Jones Convocation Center.