Box Score

In Short…
Loyola University Chicago (11-12, 5-7 MVC) closed regulation with a 10-0 run to surge past Indiana State (10-13, 4-8 MVC) by a final score of 44-36 this evening at the Hulman Center in Terre Haute, Ind.  Tonight's victory, Loyola's first on the road at Indiana State in program history, moves the Ramblers into sole possession of sixth place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings.
 
How It Happened
As was the case when the two teams met in Chicago back in January, points were hard to come by in the early going.  Jumpers from Allison Day and Ellie Rice gave Loyola a 4-2 edge just in front of the midway point of the opening frame.  A Tamara Lee triple pulled the hosts level at 7-7 before two Citiana Negatu free throws gave Loyola a slim 9-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.
 
Offense continued to come at a premium in the second quarter.  Consecutive scores from Abby O'Connor and Janae Gonzales reestablished a two-point lead for Loyola, 13-11, at the 8:09 mark.  Following an Alexis Delgado jumper that knotted the score up at 13 apiece, Maya Dunson split a trip to the charity stripe to put the Ramblers back up one, 14-13.  Indiana State would go on to hold Loyola scoreless for the final 5:30 of the first half, with back-to-back Regan Wentland buckets sending the Sycamores into the intermission with a 17-14 advantage.
 
Indiana State would extend its lead to five on three separate occasions in the third quarter, but Loyola hung around, thanks in large part to its effort on the defensive end.  With the margin sitting at 25-20, the Ramblers ran off five unanswered points, the last two of which came on a Rice layup, to knot the score up at 25-25.  Loyola continued to stay with Indiana State for the remainder of the frame, as the two teams headed to the fourth quarter deadlocked at 29-29.
 
Layups from Rice and O'Connor, respectively, staked the Maroon & Gold to a 33-29 lead with only 7:43 to play in regulation.  Indiana State responded, with a Ty Battle finish inside tying the game at 33 apiece at the 5:40 mark.  Wentland connected on a three to give the Sycamores a 36-34 edge with just under four minutes remaining.  Loyola proved to have the final answer, as triples from O'Connor and Gonzales ignited the aforementioned game-ending run that saw the Ramblers hold Indiana State scoreless over the final 3:53 en route to an impressive road victory.
 
Inside The Box Score
- After shooting just 26 percent (5-of-19) in the first half, Loyola operated at a 47 percent clip (9-of-19) in the second stanza to finish just shy of 37 percent (14-of-38) from the field on the evening.
- The Ramblers turned in one of their top showings of the season on the defensive end of the floor, holding Indiana State to just 27 percent (17-of-62), including a 3-of-15 showing (20 percent) in the fourth quarter.
- O'Connor was tremendous, pouring in 12 of her game-high 17 points (7-13 FGs, 1-4 3FGs, 2-4 FTs) in the second half.  The South Bend, Ind. native also ripped down a career-high 14 rebounds to notch her fourth double-double of the campaign. 
- Gonzales narrowly missed out on a double-double of her own, adding nine points (2-7 FGs, 1-3 3FGs, 4-4 FTs) and eight rebounds in addition to three assists.
- Loyola dominated on the glass, outrebounding Indiana State by a final margin of 45-28.  The Ramblers are now 10-1 (.909) when winning the rebounding battle this season.
- Wentland led the Sycamores with 13 points.  Loyola did a tremendous job on containing Ashli O'Neal, Indiana State's leading scorer, holding the explosive guard scoreless on the night.
 
Up Next
Loyola goes after a weekend sweep as it heads south to take on Evansville in an 11 a.m. Sunday matinee at the Meeks Family Fieldhouse.