MOLINE, Ill. (March 13, 2021)
 
In Short…
After learning of its opponent less than four hours before tip-off, sixth-seeded Loyola University Chicago (11-13, 8-10 MVC) showed tremendous heart and determination, ultimately dropping a 70-56 decision to fifth-seeded Bradley (16-11, 10-8 MVC) in the semifinals of the Missouri Valley Conference Championship this evening at TaxSlayer Center in Moline, Ill.
 
How It Happened
Both teams came out firing, each shooting north of 50 percent in the first quarter. Early threes from Emily Marsh and Gabi Haack quickly staked Bradley to an 8-2 lead.  Loyola battled back, with an Allison Day score inside giving the Ramblers their first lead of the night, 13-12, at the 3:10 mark.  Things remained tight throughout the remainder of the frame, with Haack connecting on a deep triple as time expired to put the Braves on top, 20-17.
 
In stark contrast to the opening 10 minutes, offense proved tough to come by at the start of the second quarter.  Following a Lasha Petree trey that doubled the Bradley advantage, 23-17, Day rattled off six of Loyola's next seven points, trimming the margin to 25-24 after connecting on a mid-range jumper with 3:10 remaining in the half.  Bradley caught fire from outside shortly after, with Petree and Tatum Koenig hitting on consecutive trips to push deficit to seven, 31-24, as Bradley took a 35-28 edge into the locker room at halftime.
 
After seeing Loyola pull within five, 35-30, on a Maya Chandler jumper just 15 seconds into the second half, Bradley looked to take command with a 9-2 surge that extended the Braves' lead to 44-32.   The Ramblers struggled to make a dent in their deficit throughout the remainder of the third quarter, trailing by a count of 49-39 at the end of the frame.
 
Bradley continued to pull away in the early stages of the fourth quarter, opening up a 58-41 lead on a Petree layup with 5:23 to go in regulation.  Loyola refused to fold, with another Chandler bucket sparking a 9-0 run that was punctuated by an Ellie Rice triple which clawed the Maroon & Gold within eight, 58-50, at the 3:19 mark.  The Ramblers would get no closer however, as Bradley was able to push their lead back into double digits and salt the game away at the free throw line down the stretch.
 
 
Inside The Box Score
- Rice finished with a team-high 17 points (7-14 FGs, 1-4 3FGS, 2-2 FTs), her 46^th career game of 10 points or more, in 39 minutes of play.  The Austin, Texas native scored 11 points in the fourth quarter alone.
- Less than 24 hours removed from a career-best showing, Day added 14 points (5-11 FGs, 4-4 FTs) and corralled a team-high seven rebounds.
-  Bradley finished the night at 50 percent (22-for-44) from the field, also operating at the same clip from beyond the three-point arc, as it hit on 12 of its 24 attempts from distance.
- Petree led all scorers with 24 points (8-10 FGs, 4-6 3FGs, 4-6 FTs).
 
Head Coach Kate Achter's Thoughts…
"I'm really proud of my team, not only for today and the last 24 hours, but for everything that they accomplished this season.  Unbelievable effort and resiliency.  I'm absolutely in awe of what they are able to handle with their maturity over the course of the last 365 days."