In Short…
For the second time this season, Loyola gave No. 23/21 Missouri State (26-4, 16-2 MVC) all it could handle, coming up on the short end of a 72-61 decision to the Lady Bears this afternoon inside JQH Arena in Springfield, Mo. Today's result sees the Ramblers close the 2019-20 regular season at 15-14 overall (6-12 MVC).
How It Happened
Following an
Alexis Meyer layup that knotted the score up at 2-2 early on, Missouri State looked to take control, taking off on a 12-2 run to open up a 14-4 lead and prompt a Loyola timeout. An
Allison Day jumper snapped the Maroon & Gold's cold spell and sparked a quarter-ending 6-0 spurt that saw the Ramblers close within four, 14-10.
After two
Tiara Wallace free throws trimmed the margin to just two, 14-12, Abby Hipp converted in the paint as Missouri State took off on a surge of its own, extending its lead back out to eight, 20-12, on a pair of Sydney Wilson makes from the charity stripe. Loyola continued to battle, closing within two on an
Anna Brown three that made it 22-20 at the 5:34 mark, but Missouri State would go on to reestablish a seven-point edge, 33-26, at halftime.
Wallace took over coming out of the intermission, banking home a three just over two minutes in as part of a stretch in which she accounted for seven straight points, willing the Ramblers within four, 37-33. A nifty move in the post by Day cut the gap to only one, 38-37, with 5:31 to play in the third quarter. Brown gave Loyola its first lead of the afternoon just over a minute later, connecting on a triple that vaulted the Ramblers in front, 40-38. The two teams would trade the lead in the ensuing minutes before Missouri State rattled off the frame's final five points to open up a 49-44 edge.
A traditional three-point play from Wallace again pulled Loyola level, 49-49, just 54 seconds into the fourth quarter. After seeing Missouri State stretch its lead back to six, 57-51, Brown dialed in again from outside, knocking down her third trey of the day to slice the deficit to three, 57-54. Day added a three of her own at the 3:57 mark, again making it a three-point game, 60-57, but the Lady Bears answered back with the day's next six points, stretching their lead to 66-57 with only 59 seconds remaining. Missouri State went on to salt the game away from the free throw line en route to its 15
th straight home win.
Inside The Box Score
- Wallace again led the Loyola attack, leading all scorers with 22 points (8-15 FGs, 1-2 FTs, 5-5 FTs). The Berkeley, Ill. native has now cracked the 20-point mark four times since February 8 and is averaging 16.4 points over the Maroon & Gold's last nine games.
- Day came off the bench to pour in 20 points (9-11 FGs, 1-1 3FGs, 1-2 FTs), reaching the plateau for third time this season, and collected five rebounds.
- Brown also provided Loyola with a lift, chipping in nine points (3-7 FGs, 3-7 3FGs).
- Hipp finished with 16 points (5-10 FGs, 6-11 FTs) to lead Missouri State.
Up Next
Loyola will be seeded eighth in the upcoming Missouri Valley Conference Championship in Moline, Ill. The Ramblers will battle ninth-seeded Indiana State at 4 p.m. on Thursday afternoon inside TaxSlayer Center.