CHICAGO (November 12, 2021)
 
In Short…
DePaul (2-0) shot just under 47 percent from the field and forced 21 Loyola University Chicago turnovers as it dealt the Ramblers an 87-53 setback this evening at Wintrust Arena.  Tonight's result from the South Loop sees Loyola fall to 1-1 on the young season.
 
How It Happened
Loyola came out firing from distance early, as Maya Chandler and Allison Day each found the mark from beyond the three-point arc to knot things up at 6-6.  Day's triple represented Loyola's last offense for a 5:30 span and the Blue Demons took full advantage, ripping off a 13-0 run to charge in front, 19-6.  A Sitori Tanin layup snapped the drought at the 1:25 mark before buckets on back-to-back trips by Jala Johnson had the Ramblers back within nine, 21-12.  Darionne Rogers capped off the frame with an exclamation point for the hosts, banking home a half-court heave to put DePaul up, 24-12.
 
The Blue Demons carried over momentum from the end of the first quarter, rattling off four quick points to open up a 28-12 lead and force a Loyola timeout at the 8:16 mark.  Fresh off connecting on four triples this past Tuesday, Janae Gonzales splashed home from distance to cut the margin to 28-15.  After seeing DePaul push the gap to 35-17, Loyola began to chip away, with five straight points from Day trimming the deficit to 35-22.  Riley Blackwell drilled a corner triple with just over a minute to go to bring Loyola back within 11 at 38-27, but two Lexi Held makes from the charity stripe with four seconds to play sent the Blue Demons into the locker room with a 42-28 lead.
 
Julia Hoefling looked to kickstart the Maroon & Gold, scoring inside just 27 seconds into the second half to cut the DePaul advantage to 42-30.  The Blue Demons had an answer, with Sonya Morris nailing a second-chance trey to stretch the lead out to 55-38 just past the midway point of the frame.  Another Morris score at the 1:15 mark saw the gap reach the 20-point plateau, 62-42, with DePaul ultimately holding a 63-45 lead at the end of the frame.
 
After seeing DePaul rattle off five straight points to open the fourth quarter, a driving score by Johnson brought the Maroon & Gold within 68-47 with 8:18 to play in regulation.  That proved to be as close as Loyola would get for the rest of the night, as the Blue Demons continued their perfect start to the 2021-22 season.
 
Inside The Box Score
- Loyola finished at just below 38 percent (22-for-58) from the field. 
- Day reached double figures in scoring for the 45^th time in her career, closing her evening with 10 points (4-10 FGs, 2-3 3FGs) and five rebounds.
- Johnson added 10 points (5-12 FGs) of her own, marking her first time in double figures since a 10-point showing against Valparaiso back on February 22, 2020.  She also collected two rebounds and handed out three assists.
- Sam Galanopoulos dished out a team-high four helpers and chipped in six points (3-12 FGs).
- Hoefling impressed on the defensive end, recording a career-high four blocks in addition to four points (2-2 FGs), three rebounds, and an assist.
- Morris led all scorers with 23 points (11-14 FGs, 1-1 3FGs).
 
Up Next
Loyola turns its attention up Sheridan Road on Wednesday, November 17 for a 7 p.m. clash with Northwestern inside Welsh-Ryan Arena.