Box Score

In Short…
Loyola University Chicago whittled a 20-point deficit down to seven in the fourth quarter but was unable to complete the comeback, falling to Illinois State (16-10, 9-6 MVC), 65-52, this evening at Redbird Arena in Normal, Ill.  The Ramblers now sit at 12-15 overall and 6-10 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
 
How It Happened
Illinois State raced out to an early lead, ripping off seven quick points before a Tiara Wallace jumper in the paint put the Ramblers on the board, trimming the hosts' lead to 7-2 with 6:27 to play.  Katrina Beck's second three-point field goal of the opening frame extended the Illinois State advantage to 12-2 just over a minute later.  An Ellie Rice triple would trim the margin to 14-7 at the 3:21 mark, but Illinois State went on to finish the quarter with a 6-0 surge that pushed the gap to 22-9.
 
The Redbirds continued to operate at a torrid pace in the second quarter, stretching their lead to 29-9 on a Paige Saylor layup that prompted a Loyola timeout with three minutes gone.  Slowly but surely, the Ramblers began to chip away.  Abby O'Connor knocked down her first three of the night with just under two minutes remaining to cut the gap to 36-20.  A Wallace steal and score with time running down pulled Loyola back with 36-23 heading to the locker room, as the Ramblers held Illinois State scoreless over the final 2:07 of the half.
 
Loyola looked to find its footing coming out of halftime, hitting on three of its first five attempts from the field.  Another O'Connor trey brought the Maroon & Gold trimmed the margin to 10 (42-32) at the 5:52 mark.  Illinois State would reestablish a 17-point lead, 53-36, on a Lexi Wallen layup before Loyola closed the quarter with five unanswered points, the last three of which came from Maya Dunson, to again battle back within 12 (53-41).
 
Both teams would struggle on the offensive end in the fourth quarter's opening minutes, going scoreless for the first 3:11 until an O'Connor mid-range bucket broke the seal.  O'Connor followed that up with her third and final three pointer of the night to claw Loyola to within seven, 53-46, with 6:12 to play in regulation.  Points would prove tough to come by for the remainder of the evening for the Ramblers, as they hit on only two of their final 11 attempts as Illinois State held on for a victory on its home floor.
 
Inside The Box Score
- O'Connor led the Rambler attack with 15 points (6-11 FGs, 3-6 3FGs), four rebounds, two assists, three blocks and a steal.  The South Bend, Ind. product, who extended her streak of games in double figures to 10, averaged 15.9 points during the month of February.
- Rice added 10 points (3-11 FGs, 2-7 3FGs, 2-3 FTs), knocking down a pair of attempts form distance.
- Wallace chipped in six points (2-8 FGs, 0-3 3FGs, 2-4 FTs), seven rebounds, an assist, a block and three steals.
- Dunson gave Loyola valuable minutes off the bench, contributing a season-best eight points (2-7 FGs, 2-6 3FGs, 2-4 FTs), while Kailyn Strawbridge handed out a team-high three assists.
- Beck and Simone Goods each poured in 21 points, with Goods also collecting 15 rebounds en route to a double-double.
 
Up Next
Loyola returns to action on Saturday, March 2 when it faces off against Bradley at 2 p.m. from Renaissance Coliseum in Peoria, Ill.