FRANKFORT, Kent. (March 21, 2021)
 
In Short…
Ellie Rice surpassed 1,000 points for her career as Loyola University Chicago (12-15, 8-10 MVC) earned its first postseason win in program history, downing Abilene Christian (14-13, 6-7 Southland), 74-55, to close out the Women's Basketball Invitational this afternoon at the William Exum Center in Frankfort, Kent.
 
How It Happened
Alyssa Adams and Allison Day traded buckets in the opening minute of play, as both teams operated at an efficient clip in the first quarter.  A Kat Nolan triple at the 3:45 mark sparked a 9-0 Loyola run that turned a three-point deficit into an 18-12 lead following a Bre Hampton-Bey layup.  Rice connected from outside on Loyola's final possession of the frame, stretching the gap to 21-14.
 
Rice etched her name into Loyola history with 6:59 to play in the first half, burying a three that gained her entry into the program's 1,000-point club and also pushed the margin back out to seven, 26-19.  The senior stayed hot on the offensive end, knocking down a mid-range jumper to up the lead to 30-19.  Kaylen Evans dialed in from outside just past the midway point of the quarter, giving the Maroon & Gold a 35-22 advantage, as Loyola took a 40-30 lead into the locker room at halftime.
 
Back-to-back Day scores got the Ramblers off and running in the second half, upping the margin to 44-30 with just over two minutes gone.  Abilene Christian whittled its deficit back down into single digits following a pair of Kamryn Mraz free throws, 46-38, but another Rice trey quickly stunted any hopes of a Wildcat rally, bumping the lead back up into double digits, 49-38.  Loyola stretched its lead as far as 24, 74-50, in the fourth quarter, cruising to its first postseason victory in program history.
 
Inside The Box Score
- Rice closed out a storied career in Rogers Park by leading Loyola with 21 points (7-16 FGs, 3-7 3FGs, 4-5 FTs).  The Austin, Texas product finishes her time with the Maroon & Gold with 1,009 points to her name, a mark that ranks 26^th all-time in Rambler annals.
- Day wrapped up a terrific junior campaign with her second double-double in as many days, finishing with 16 points (8-9 FGs) and 10 rebounds.
- Maya Chandler closed out her freshman year by scoring in double figures for a third straight game, chipping in 10 points (4-10 FGs, 2-3 3FGs).
- Nolan came off the bench to also contribute 10 points (4-4 FGs, 2-2 3FGs).
- Sam Galanopoulos handed out a team-high five assists, her third game with at least five helpers this season, as the Ramblers closed the day with 18 assists as a team.
- After struggling on the offensive end in its first two games of the event, Loyola finished today at 53.6 percent (30-for-56) from the field, while holding the Wildcats to just 34.6 percent (18-for-52) efficiency.
- Anna McLeod led all scorers with 22 points (6-13 FGs, 5-8 3FGs, 5-5 FTs) for Abilene Christian.
 
Head Coach Kate Achter's Thoughts…
"I'm thrilled for our players that they were able to bounce back today and really connect on a few things that we've been harping on over the last couple days.  The WBI experience has been so valuable to us as a program.  I'm really grateful that our kids were able to experience this in such a crazy year.  I'm just so proud of them and happy that we were able to go out like this."