CHICAGO (November 9, 2021)
 
In Short…
Janae Gonzales led a trio of Ramblers to score in double figures as Loyola University Chicago (1-0) used a suffocating defensive effort to storm past Detroit Mercy (0-1) by a 63-40 final score this evening in the regular season opener for both teams inside Gentile Arena.
 
Head Coach Kate Achter's Thoughts…
"Thrilled that we opened our first time in front of fans in a really long time with a victory.  I thought we left quite a few points on the table, but it's hard to be upset at the point differential.  It was awesome for Janae to come out and have a big night.  Allison (Day) got it going there a little bit, and it was nice to see Maya (Chandler) connect in the second half.  We've been talking a lot about our team and our togetherness, and, above all else, that showed through really well tonight."
 
How It Happened
A pair of Bre Hampton-Bey free throws that were followed by a Sam Galanopoulos layup staked the Ramblers to a 4-0 lead with just over two minutes gone.  After seeing Detroit Mercy pull even at 4-4, Gonzales buried her first two triples of the night over a 1:49 span to edge Loyola out to a 10-6 advantage.  Anna Brown joined the party with her first trey of the new campaign with just over a minute remaining, as Loyola held a 15-9 lead after one quarter of play.
 
An Allison Day layup at the 5:41 mark of the second quarter snapped a 5:23 scoreless stretch for the Maroon & Gold, reestablishing a six-point lead, 17-11.  With the margin sitting at 17-13 just before the midway point of the frame, Loyola rattled off eight unanswered points, the last three of which came on another Gonzales three that pushed the gap to 25-13.  Detroit got no closer than nine for the remainder of the first half, with the Ramblers taking a 26-16 lead into the locker room.
 
Maya Chandler came out of the locker room firing, scoring on consecutive trips to push the margin to 32-18.  Detroit Mercy continued to scrap, trimming the lead back down to single digits, 34-25, with 4:00 to play in the third quarter.  A Galanopoulos triple at the 3:38 mark appeared to stem the tide, pushing the Loyola's advantage back into double figures, 37-25, as the hosts ultimately held a 40-29 edge heading to the fourth quarter.
 
After seeing the Titans again pull within nine, 40-31, just 13 seconds into the final frame, the Ramblers put away any hopes of a comeback, with two Sitori Tanin layups providing the bookends to a 9-2 spurt that gave the Maroon & Gold a 49-33 lead.  Loyola kept its foot on the gas all the way to the final horn, holding the Titans to just two makes from the field over the final 5:41 of regulation en route to its third straight season-opening win.
 
Inside The Box Score
- Loyola finished at an even 50 percent (20-for-40) from the field, while holding Detroit Mercy to just under 32 percent efficiency (15-for-47). 
- The Ramblers are 15-2 (.882) since the start of the 2016-17 season when holding an opponent under 50 points.
- Gonzales came off the bench to knock down four triples as part of a 14-point (5-9 FGs, 4-8 3FGs), four-rebound effort. 
- Day added 11 points (2-4 FGs, 7-12 FTs) and collected a team-high eight rebounds, while Chandler poured in 10 points (4-4 FGs, 1-1 3FGs, 1-2 FTs), all of which came in the second half.
- Galanopoulos and Hampton-Bey each dished out three assists. Hampton-Bey was a terror on the defensive end, coming away with five steals, a mark just one off her career high.
- Irene Murua paced Detroit Mercy with 10 points (5-6 FGs).
 
Up Next
Loyola makes the short trek south to Wintrust Arena on Friday, November 12 for a 7 p.m. matchup with city rival DePaul.