PEORIA, Ill. (January 13, 2022)
 
In Short…
Allison Day surpassed 1,000 points for her collegiate career, while Maya Chandler put up 19 points as Loyola University Chicago battled its way to a 48-41 win over Bradley (3-10, 0-4 MVC) this evening inside Renaissance Coliseum.  Tonight's victory, Loyola's second in its last three tries in Peoria, Ill., sees the Ramblers improve to 10-6 overall and 2-3 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
 
How It Happened
Chandler couldn't miss from distance early on, hitting three of her first four three-point attempts to vault Loyola out to a 9-0 lead with 5:31 to play.  Following a Bre Hampton-Bey corner trey that pushed the gap to 12-0, Tete Danso finished inside to end a game-opening 6:25 scoring drought for the hosts and trim the Ramblers' lead to 12-2.  Sitori Tanin added a bucket of her own in the paint with just over a minute remaining as the Maroon & Gold held a 14-4 advantage after the opening 10 minutes of play.
 
Chandler connected again from outside to begin the second frame, stretching the gap to 17-4 33 seconds in.  Bradley chipped away, pulling within eight, 21-13, on an Aannah Interrante fast break score.  Sam Galanopoulos' mid-range jumper with 1:29 remaining pushed the lead back into double digits, 26-16, but a Sierra Morrow layup in the waning seconds again brought the difference to eight, 26-18. 
 
Day added another chapter to her time in Rogers Park at the 6:33 mark of the third quarter, draining a free-throw line jumper that saw her hit 1,000 career points while extending the Ramblers' lead to 34-23.  Chandler picked up right where she left off in the first half, putting up five straight points to stretch the gap to 39-24 just past the midway point of the frame.  Loyola went cold from that point on, as it was held scoreless for the final 4:52 as Bradley closed on a quarter-ending 7-0 run to trim its deficit to 39-31.
 
Interrante hit on a triple under a minute into the fourth quarter to bring the Braves within five, 39-34, and prompt a Loyola timeout.  Day provided the response, snapping a 10-0 Bradley surge with a bucket as the Ramblers pushed their lead back to nine, 43-34, on a driving score by Janae Gonzales with 7:33 remaining in regulation.  Bradley mounted a final push, cutting the margin to five, 44-39, on a Chloe Rice split at the line.  Loyola came up with multiple crucial defensive stops down the stretch before icing the game from the charity stripe to earn only its fourth win in Peoria in the last 29 years.
 
Inside The Box Score
- Making her 83^rd career start, Day finished with six points (3-8 FGs), six rebounds, an assist, a block, and three steals as she became the 28^th player in program history to join the 1,000-point club.  The Russellville, Ohio native is the second Rambler to accomplish the feat this season, joining Hampton-Bey.
- Chandler connected on a career-high five threes as part of her aforementioned 19-point effort (6-16 FGs, 5-10 3FGs, 2-2 FTs), which led all scorers.  She also added five rebounds, three assists, and a steal.
- Hampton-Bey also reached double figures in scoring, chipping in 10 points (2-7 FGs, 2-3 3FGs, 4-8 FTs) in addition to four rebounds and a steal. 
- Loyola turned in another suffocating defensive performance, holding Bradley to just 26.7 percent (16-for-60) shooting, the low mark by a Rambler opponent this season.
- Rice paced the Braves with 11 points (3-8 FGs, 2-5 3FGs, 3-4 FTs).
 
Up Next
Loyola makes the short trip east on Interstate 74 to Normal, Ill. for a matchup with Illinois State on Saturday.  Tip-off at Redbird Arena is scheduled for 6 p.m.