In Short…
Playing before a program-record crowd of 3,703 fans, Loyola University Chicago came back from an early double-digit deficit to defeat visiting Bowling Green (6-4) this afternoon, 84-76, on "Field Trip Day with the Ramblers" at Gentile Arena.  Today's victory moves the Maroon & Gold to 9-0 and keeps them as one of only 12 unbeaten teams remaining in the nation.
 
How It Happened
After seeing Bowling Green jump out to an early 4-0 lead, Allison Day finished inside to put Loyola on the board at the 7:48 mark, trimming the Falcons' lead to 4-2.  With its lead sitting at 10-7 after a long two from Jala Johnson, Bowling Green took off on a 10-0 run, bolstered by threes from Madisen Parker and Caterrion Thompson, to open up its largest lead of the afternoon, 20-7, with 3:26 to play in the first quarter.  A Tiara Wallace triple less than 20 seconds later looked to spark the Ramblers on the offensive end, as Loyola battled back to within six, 24-18, at the end of the opening frame.
 
After seeing Janae Gonzales connect from distance just seconds into the second quarter to trim the Falcons' lead to 24-21, Day poured home six straight points to send Loyola in front for the first time on the day, 27-24.  An old-fashioned three-point play from Maya Dunson upped the Rambler lead to 32-28 before a fastbreak score from Day stretched the margin to seven, 41-34, with just under a minute remaining.  Mari Hill finished at the rim as time expired to pull Bowling Green back within four at halftime, 43-39.
 
Loyola used threes from Gonzales and Abby O'Connor, respectively, to extend its lead to nine on a pair of different occasions in the opening four minutes of the third quarter.  Following a Thompson driving score that cut the gap to 58-51, Gonzales converted on a layup before O'Connor connected again from beyond the three-point arc, giving Loyola its largest lead of the day, 62-51, with 4:24 remaining.  Bowling Green continued to hang around, pulling back to within six, 65-59, at the end of the third quarter.
 
The visitors refused to go away, closing Loyola's advantage to only 67-65 following a Kadie Hempfling layup with 7:04 to play.  Day came up with a crucial conventional three-point play on the Ramblers' ensuing trip down the floor, reestablishing a five-point lead, 70-65, as part of a surge that saw the Maroon & Gold push the gap back to eight, 74-66, on a Sam Galanopoulos layup at the 3:48 mark.  Angela Perry responded with the game's next six points, as Bowling Green again clawed within two, 74-72, nearing the two-minute mark.  Loyola proved to have the final say, with Galanopoulos scoring inside again before O'Connor drained on a backbreaking three to up the lead to 79-72 with only 1:18 to play.  Bowling Green would get no closer than five the rest of the way as Loyola continued its perfect start to the season before a boisterous home crowd.
 
Inside The Box Score
- Day finished with a career-best 20 points (8-13 FGs, 4-6 FTs) in addition to seven rebounds, three assists, a block, and a steal.  Over the last five games, she is averaging a team-best 16.0 points and is operating at 52.2 percent (36-of-69) from the field.
- O'Connor was hot on her sophomore counterpart's heels, adding 19 points (6-16 FGs, 3-8 3FGs, 4-4 FTs), eight rebounds, two assists, and a steal.
- Ellie Rice scored in double figures for a fifth straight game, chipping in 11 points (3-6 FGs, 2-2 3FGs, 3-4 FTs), while Gonzales rounded out a quarter of Ramblers in double figures on the day with 10 points (4-9 FGs, 2-7 3FGs).
- For the seventh time this season, Loyola won the battle on the boards, outrebounding Bowling Green by a final margin of 34-28.
- After seeing the Falcons connect on six of their seven attempts from distance in the first half, Loyola held Bowling Green without a made triple (0-for-8) after halftime.
- Perry finished with a double-double (26 points, 12 rebounds) to lead Bowling Green.
 
Up Next
Loyola is back in action on Friday, December 20 when it welcomes city-rival No. 16/16 DePaul to Gentile Arena for a 7 p.m. tip-off.