In Short…
Abby O'Connor reached the 1,000-point mark for her career as Loyola University Chicago dropped a 60-47 decision to visiting Bradley (13-2, 4-0 MVC) this afternoon at Gentile Arena.  Today's result brings an end to the Ramblers' three-game win streak, dropping the Maroon & Gold to 12-4 overall (3-2 MVC).
 
How It Happened
Loyola wasted no time looking to attack inside, with Allison Day and O'Connor both converting in the game's opening minutes to get Loyola out to a quick 4-0 lead.  Bradley began to find its footing as the quarter wore on, using a 12-0 spurt that was spurred on by triples from Gabi Haack and Emily Marsh to surge in front, 14-6.  The Ramblers responded with a push of their own, trimming the deficit to 16-12 on a Sam Galanopoulos layup during the closing seconds of the first quarter.
 
Bradley opened the second frame with another sustained push on the offensive end, taking off on an 11-0 run over the first 4:46 of the quarter to stretch the gap to 27-12.  The Braves would hold Loyola without a make from the field until Galanopoulos drained a mid-range jumper with 35 seconds remaining as the visitors took a 36-20 lead into halftime.
 
Scores on consecutive trips from Day and Galanopoulos inside the first 90 seconds of the third quarter saw Loyola close to within 37-24.  Nyjah White finished on a fastbreak to push the margin to 43-24, but the Ramblers continued to hang around, with an Ellie Rice corner trey capping off a 7-0 run that trimmed the Braves' lead to 45-34 at the 3:31 mark.  Rice's triple would prove to be the Maroon & Gold's final offense of the quarter, as Bradley rattled off six straight points to charge into the fourth quarter on top, 51-34.
 
Offense proved tough to come by at both ends for the majority of the final frame, with the two teams combining to shoot just 30 percent (6-of-20).  O'Connor connected on her lone three-point field goal of the day to cut the Braves' lead to 58-40 with just under three minutes remaining.  The junior went on to etch her name into Loyola history with just 1:42 to play, converting on a layup to join the program's 1,000-point club as Bradley went on to close out its fourth straight win to open Valley play.
 
Inside The Box Score
- O'Connor finished the afternoon with seven points (3-10 FGs, 1-4 3FGs) and eight rebounds as she became the 25^th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point mark.  The South Bend, Ind. native is also the 11^th player in Rambler annals to score 1,000 points and collect 500 rebounds during her career.
- Day paced Loyola on the day with 10 points (4-13 FGs, 2-4 FTs), while Galanopoulos came off the bench to chip in nine points (3-5 FGs, 3-4 FTs).
- Haack scored a game-high 16 points (6-13 FGs, 2-7 3FGs, 2-2 FTs) to lead a trio of Braves to reach double figures in scoring.
 
Up Next
Loyola returns to action on Sunday at 1 p.m. as Illinois State visits Gentile Arena.  In honor of National Girls and Women in Sports Day, discounted tickets are available using the code GIRLS2020.