FRANKFORT, Kent. (March 19, 2021)
 
In Short…
Maya Chandler finished just a point off her season high, but Loyola University Chicago (11-14, 8-10 MVC) committed 18 turnovers, as Stetson (10-13, 7-9 ASUN) erased a 10-point third-quarter deficit to edge the Ramblers, 49-45, this afternoon in the quarterfinals of the Women's Basketball Invitational inside the William Exum Center in Frankfort, Kent.
 
Head Coach Kate Achter's Thoughts…
"Not thrilled with the result, certainly, but also not thrilled with the way it transpired.  I thought we got away from makes us a complete basketball team.  It was really disappointing to see, because I think we're a much more complete basketball team than we showed today.  We've been bouncing back all year and get another shot tomorrow.  We're still playing basketball right now, and that's exciting."
 
How It Happened
Yazz Wazeerud-Din and Chandler traded threes in the game's opening minutes, with Chandler's trey giving Loyola a 5-3 lead.  A second-chance score Maria Visone staked the Hatters to a 10-6 edge with 3:47 to play in the first quarter.  Julia Hoefling's conventional three-point play pushed the Ramblers back in front, 14-12, but Jamiya Turner finished inside as time expired to knot the game up at 14-14.
 
Loyola rattled off the first six points of the second quarter, the last two of which came on a second-chance score by Sitori Tanin that made it 20-14 just before the midway point of the frame.  Wazeerud-Din scored Stetson's only points of the quarter at the 2:35 mark, trimming the Maroon & Gold's lead to 20-16.  Offense continued to be tough to come by down the stretch, as Loyola took a 21-16 lead into halftime.
 
Four straight points from Allison Day in the early stages of the third quarter gave Loyola its largest lead of the afternoon, 27-17.  With the margin sitting at 29-21 following an Ellie Rice jumper with 4:09 to go, Stetson erupted for a quarter-ending 8-0 surge, with a Kiya Turner layup tying things up at 29-29.
 
The Hatters kept their foot on the gas in the fourth quarter, holding the Ramblers scoreless for the first 4:54 as they opened up a 36-29 advantage.  Loyola looked to find its footing, closing back within one, 38-37, on a turnaround jumper by Day with 2:49 to play.  The Ramblers again went cold, going scoreless for 1:42, as Stetson built an eight-point lead, 47-39, from the free throw line.  Anna Brown and Chandler hit threes on consecutive trips late, the second of which made it a two-point game, 47-45, with just over three seconds to go, but Wazeerud-Din iced the game with two late makes at the charity stripe to send Stetson into the semifinals.
 
Inside The Box Score
- Chandler paced Loyola with 17 points (6-14 FGs, 2-7 3FGS, 3-4 FTs) in addition to four rebounds and a season-high four steals.
- Day finished just a point shy of a double-double, adding nine points (3-8 FGs, 3-6 FTs) and 10 rebounds.
- Despite holding Stetson to 39 percent shooting (18-for-46), Loyola closed the day at just a 32-percent clip (17-for-53) from the field.
- Wazeerud-Din led all scorers with 18 points (5-10 FGs, 3-5 3FGs, 5-7 FTs) for Stetson.
 
Up Next
Loyola will take on Manhattan, which fell to Cleveland State earlier today, in the consolation round of the Women's Basketball Invitational on Saturday at 11 a.m. in Frankfort, Kent.