In Short…
Loyola University Chicago committed an uncharacteristic 31 turnovers as it dropped a 70-57 decision to visiting Valparaiso (15-10, 7-7 MVC) this afternoon inside Gentile Arena.  Today's defeat sees the Ramblers fall to 15-10 overall (6-8 MVC).
 
How It Happened
Jala Johnson finished in traffic 91 seconds in to put Loyola in front early, 2-0.  Both teams would then go cold from the field, combining to go 3:16 without a score before a Kat Nolan layup doubled the Rambler lead, 4-0.  An Addison Stoller bucket at the 3:58 mark snapped a game-opening 6:02 scoreless drought for the visitors, trimming the margin to 6-2.  Janae Gonzales closed the frame on a high note for the Maroon & Gold, knocking down a triple to stretch the advantage to 13-6.
 
Following another Stoller bucket that pulled Valparaiso with 15-11, two Johnson threes provided the bookends to an 11-4 surge that gave Loyola its largest lead of the afternoon, 26-15, with 6:08 to play in the half.  The Crusaders refused to go away, closing to within 32-27 heading to halftime.
 
Abby O'Connor looked to provide a spark coming out of the locker room, draining a trey with only 11 seconds gone to push the lead back to eight, 35-27.  Valparaiso would answer with an 8-0 run over a 3:12 span to pull even at 35-35 after a Grace White layup. A conventional three-point play by Wallace quickly put Loyola back on top, 38-35, but back-to-back threes from Weinman and Grace Hales propelled the Crusaders in front, 42-40, heading to the fourth quarter.
 
With the score sitting at 44-44 following two Ellie Rice free throws at the 8:06 mark, Valparaiso again took advantage of another Loyola scoreless stretch, rattling off nine unanswered points to open a 53-44 lead with just four minutes to play.  The Ramblers would trim the gap to seven, 53-46, on two Wallace free throws, but would get no closer the rest of the way.
 
Inside The Box Score
- Johnson led Loyola with 10 points (4-5 FGs, 2-3 3FGs), reaching double figures in scoring for the sixth time on the year.
- O'Connor added nine points (4-13 FGs, 1-7 3FGs) and eight rebounds, falling just shy of her sixth double-double of the season.
- This afternoon marked Loyola's first defeat of the year when holding an opponent under 40 percent shooting, as it limited the Crusaders to just 37.5 percent (18-of-48) from the field.
- Weinman scored a game-high 21 points (6-15 FGs, 1-7 3FGs, 8-11 FTs) to lead the Valparaiso attack.
 
Up Next
Loyola closes out the home portion of its 2019-20 schedule with matchups against Drake (February 28) and UNI (March 1) next weekend.