Box Score

In Short…
Abby O'Connor and Ellie Rice both turned in impressive efforts but Valparaiso (7-23, 3-15 MVC) was able to hold off a furious rally by Loyola University Chicago, escaping with an 81-74 victory this afternoon at the Athletics-Recreation Center in Valparaiso, Ind.  The Ramblers wrap up the 2018-19 regular season at 12-17 overall and 6-12 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
 
How It Happened
O'Connor's first three of the afternoon punctuated a fast start to the game for Loyola, which led, 7-2, just over 90 seconds in.  Valparaiso battled to trim the lead to two on a pair of separate occasions, but the Ramblers answered, extending the gap to 14-7 on a Tiara Wallace layup en route to taking a 16-10 lead into the second quarter.
 
Loyola continued to keep Valparaiso at an arm's length during the early stages of the second frame.  Rice, who poured in 10 points over the opening 20 minutes, connected from outside to reestablish a five-point advantage, 21-16, at the 6:51 mark.  After watching Valparaiso surge in front, an Allison Day layup gave Loyola a slim 23-22 edge with 5:31 remaining.  The Crusaders would catch fire from that point forward, closing the half with an 18-6 surge that sent Valparaiso race into the locker room with a 40-29 lead.
 
The Ramblers would struggle to make a dent in their deficit for the majority of the third quarter.  Loyola battled back to within 10 on a pair of separate occasions, the latter of which came when Rice drained another three to trim the margin to 58-48 with just over two minutes remaining.  Valparaiso would quickly push its advantage back out to 15 (63-48) before Jazmine Covington hit on a three of her own to cut the hosts' lead to 63-51 heading to the fourth quarter.
 
Following an old-fashioned three-point play by Addison Stoller that pushed the Valparaiso lead to 66-51 with 9:32 remaining, Loyola tightened up on the defensive end, holding the Crusaders scoreless for three minutes as it used a 7-0 run, capped off by a Kailyn Strawbridge triple, to pull within eight, 66-58, at the 6:38 mark.  Layups in rapid succession from Wallace and Covington saw Loyola claw back to down only four, 70-66, with just under four minutes left.  O'Connor would again trim the deficit to four, 75-71, at the 1:26 mark but that proved to be the end of the rally, as Valparaiso went a perfect 6-of-6 at the free thrown line down the stretch to put the game away.
 
Inside The Box Score
- O'Connor led the Ramblers with 22 points (9-17 FGs, 3-7 3FGs, 1-2 FTs).  The South Bend, Ind. native, who has now reached the 20-point mark four times this season, also recorded three blocks, bringing her total on the season to 45. She is now in sole possession of fifth place on Loyola's single-season record board in the category.
- Rice tied a season-high with 19 points (8-16 FGs, 2-6 3FGs, 1-4 FTs), reaching double figures in scoring for the 17^th time this season.
- Wallace handed out a career-high tying nine assists to go along with nine points and five rebounds.
- Stoller paced a balanced Valparaiso attack with a team-best 22 points.
 
Up Next
Loyola will be the seventh seed at next week's Missouri Valley Conference Championship in Moline, Ill.  The Ramblers will open postseason play against No. 10 Evansville at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 14 at TaxSlayer Center.