CHICAGO (February 6, 2020)

In Short…
Loyola University Chicago dug itself out of an early hole as it snapped a three-game skid by defeating Indiana State (3-19, 1-9 MVC), 65-55, this evening inside Gentile Arena.  Tonight's victory moves the Ramblers to 14-7 overall, surpassing their 2018-19 win total, and gets them back to the .500 mark in Missouri Valley Conference play at 5-5.
 
How It Happened
Alexis Meyer got Loyola off and running just 19 seconds in, connecting on a mid-range jumper to put the Ramblers on the board first, 2-0.  The two teams would trade the lead in the minutes following, with a Julia Hoefling layup at the 4:11 mark giving Loyola a slim 11-10 edge.  Indiana State would go on to hold the Maroon & Gold scoreless for the remainder of the frame, as a Jasmine Elder layup sparked a quarter-ending 6-0 spurt that put the Sycamores on top, 16-11.
 
Indiana State kept its foot on the gas in the opening stages of the second quarter, stretching its lead out to 20-11 on a Marie Hunter fastbreak score that prompted a Loyola timeout with less than a minute gone.  Slowly but surely, the Maroon & Gold began to chip away.  With the gap sitting at 27-21, a conventional three-point play by Tiara Wallace laid the foundation for an 8-0 run, which was capped off by an Ellie Rice corner triple that sent Loyola back in front, 29-27, with 3:53 to play.  Indiana State regained the lead, 32-21, on a Hunter three with 54 seconds remaining, but Wallace finished in traffic with time ticking away to send Loyola into halftime with a 33-32 advantage.
 
Loyola gave itself some breathing room in the third quarter, coming out of the locker room on a 9-0 tear that featured treys from Abby O'Connor and Kat Nolan to extend its lead into double digits, 42-32.  CeCe Mayo's jumper with 3:45 to go trimmed the margin to 43-35 and snapped a half-opening 6:15 drought without a make from the field for the visitors.  Indiana State continued to hang around as the quarter came to a close, battling back within seven, 47-40, following a Jamyra McChristine split at the free throw line.
 
After seeing Loyola reestablish a nine-point lead, 52-43, following a nifty move from O'Connor, Indiana State answered back with six straight points, the last two of which came on an Elder finish inside that made it a one-possession game, 52-49, at the 7:24 mark.  The Ramblers responded with a push of their own, stretching their lead back to 59-51 on a deep trey by Janae Gonzales with 2:32 to play.  Loyola would ice the game from the free throw line from that point on, connecting on six of their final eight attempts from the stripe to secure a victory.
 
Inside The Box Score
- Making her first start since November 28, 2017, Meyer poured in a career-high tying 14 points (6-8 FGs, 2-4 FTs) to lead all scorers.  The Portland, Ore. native also came away with a team-best three steals.
- O'Connor (5-11 FGs, 2-5 3FGs, 1-2 FTs) and Wallace (3-6 FGs, 1-2 3FGs, 6-7 FTs) also scored in double figures, each adding 13 points.  Wallace handed out a game-best six assists, while O'Connor ripped down seven rebounds, sharing the team lead in the category with Rice.
- Loyola finished the night at 49 percent (24-of-49) from the field, its highest single-game shooting percentage since it shot 49.2 percent (31-of-63) against Bowling Green on December 16, 2019.
- After allowing Indiana State to shoot just shy of 54 percent (14-of-26) in the first half, the Ramblers locked in defensively, holding the visitors to a 30 percent (10-of-33) clip during the final 20 minutes of regulation.
- Hunter paced the Sycamore attack with 12 points (5-7 FGs, 2-2 3FGs).
 
Up Next
Loyola wraps up a brief two-game homestand Saturday at 2 p.m. when it hosts Evansville on Alumni Day.  The matchup against the Purple Aces will also serve as the program's annual Play4Kay Game in support of raising awareness for all types of cancers affecting women and the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.  Fans wearing pink on Saturday can purchase tickets for just four dollars at the Loyola Ticket Office.