In Short…
Janae Gonzales turned in one of the top individual performances in program history as Loyola University Chicago raced out to an early lead and never looked back, defeating Detroit Mercy (0-1) by a final margin of 89-60 this evening at Calihan Hall in Detroit, Mich.  Tonight's victory is Loyola's first in a regular-season opener since a 77-34 victory over Chicago State to begin the 2011-12 campaign.
 
How It Happened
Loyola came out firing on all cylinders, with two Gonzales triples bookending a pair of post scores from Allison Day as the Maroon & Gold jumped out to a 10-2 lead with four minutes gone, prompting an early Detroit Mercy timeout.  The Ramblers never let up, stretching the gap to 11 at one point, as they ultimately took a 22-13 advantage into the second quarter.
 
Gonzales seemed to get only hotter during the second frame, knocking down four treys over a 5:11 span as the lead ballooned to 21 (39-18) with 4:49 remaining the half.  Back-to-back buckets inside from Tiara Wallace and Kat Nolan pushed the margin to 46-24 as Loyola went on to race into the locker room with a 48-27 lead at halftime.
 
Abby O'Connor went to work in the third quarter, rattling off six quick points to extend the lead to 59-35 with 5:55 to play.  After connecting on her eighth three of the night early on in the second half, Gonzales etched her name alongside former Rambler great Maggie McCloskey by draining her program-record tying ninth triple of the evening at the 4:48 mark to expand the lead to 64-35.
 
Loyola would go on to push its advantage above the 30-point mark on three separate occasions throughout the rest of the night, as it closed out an emphatic win to open its 2019-20 slate.
 
Inside The Box Score
- Gonzales was fantastic tonight, connecting on nine of her 13 attempts from beyond the three-point arc as part of a 29-point effort (10-14 FGs, 9-13 3FGs) that fell just a point shy of matching her career high of 30, set back on January 27, 2019 at Southern Illinois. Along with putting her alongside McCloskey on the program's single-game all-time record board, Gonzales' nine triples are also tied for the fourth most in a single game in Missouri Valley Conference annals.
- O'Connor looked to pick up right where she left off last season, posting her eighth career double-double with 11 points (4-10 3FGs, 3-4 FTs) and 14 rebounds.
- Jala Johnson provided the Maroon & Gold with a spark off the bench, adding 13 points (5-13 FGs, 2-3 3FGs, 1-6 FTs).
- Loyola finished the night at 46.5 percent (33-of-71) from the field and racked up 23 assists on its 33 made shots, led by six helpers from Wallace.  On the other end of the floor, Detroit Mercy was held to just a 32.8 percent clip (20-of-61). 
- The Ramblers dominated on the glass, outrebounding the host Titans, 56-30.
- Zoey Oatis paced the Detroit Mercy attack with 17 points (7-11 FGs, 3-5 FTs).
 
Up Next
Loyola makes its first appearance of 2019-20 on the Gentile Arena hardwood on Friday at 12 p.m. when it hosts Vermont.