Box Score

In Short…
Seventh-seeded Loyola University Chicago gave second-seeded Missouri State (21-9, 16-2 MVC) all it could handle, falling by a final score of 59-50 this evening in the quarterfinals of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at TaxSlayer Center in Moline, Ill. Tonight's defeat sees the Ramblers end the year at 13-18 overall (6-12 MVC), a six-win improvement from 2017-18.
 
Coach Kate Achter's Thoughts…
"I'm so proud.  Our kids fought and made them earn every bucket that they got in the second half.  I'm really proud of our effort and fight.  I'm in awe of how hard they played for me today."
 
How It Happened
Loyola started cold, missing on each of its first six attempts as Missouri State built an 8-0 lead, prompting a Rambler timeout with 5:13 to play.  Maya Dunson got Loyola on the board with just over six minutes gone, driving inside to trim the deficit to 8-2.  The freshman's bucket sparked an 11-0 Rambler run that Dunson went on to provide the bookend to, connecting from distance to put Loyola in front, 11-8,  
 
With the score knotted up at 13-13 entering the second quarter, Dunson drilled another trey to reestablish a three-point edge a minute in, 16-13.  Missouri State would rally back in front, 17-16, on a Danielle Gitzen layup with 6:46 remaining.  Abby O'Connor gave the Maroon & Gold the lead back for good in the first half, 18-17, just 14 seconds later, finishing inside.  An O'Connor three would give the Ramblers their largest lead of the night, 31-25, as Loyola took a 31-27 edge into halftime.
 
A second half of runs opened with a 16-0 Missouri State surge that saw the Lady Bears charge back on top, 43-31, four minutes into the third quarter.  Five straight points from Dunson snapped the dry spell and ignited a 12-0 Rambler run that knotted the two teams up at 43 apiece with 1:12 to play in the frame.  The Lady Bears answered back with the quarter's final five points, the last three of which came on a Gitzen triple as time expired, to open up a 48-43 lead.
 
After seeing its deficit grow to 13 (56-43) with 6:44 to play in regulation, Ellie Rice found the mark from distance as Loyola clawed back within eight, 56-48, at the 5:46 mark.  That proved to be as close as Loyola would get the rest of the night, with time running out on the Ramblers' comeback hopes as Missouri State advanced on. 
 
Inside The Box Score
- Dunson matched a career high that was less than 24 hours old, coming off the bench to score a team-high 13 points (5-13 FGs, 3-8 3FGs).
- O'Connor capped off a tremendous sophomore season with her seventh double-double of the year, adding 12 points (5-12 FGs, 2-5 3FGs) and 14 rebounds.  The South Bend, Ind. native's 452 points (14.6 ppg) are tied for the ninth most in a single season by a Rambler.  She also racked up 50 blocked shots (1.6 bpg), good enough for fifth on the program's single season chart in the category.
- Rice rounded out a trio of Ramblers in double figures with 10 points (4-14 FGs, 2-6 3FGs).
- Tiara Wallace chipped in a team-best four assists in addition to four points, four rebounds and two steals.
- Gitzen led all scorers with 18 points as Loyola held a Missouri State team that entered that night ranked second in the MVC in scoring 13 points below its season average.