CHICAGO (January 28, 2022)
 
In Short…
Bre Hampton-Bey, Allison Day, and Maya Chandler all scored in double figures as Loyola University Chicago held Valparaiso (6-14, 4-5 MVC) to 30 percent shooting from the field en route to a 62-48 victory tonight at Gentile Arena.  The Ramblers, who now sit at 12-7 overall and 4-4 in Missouri Valley Conference play, are off to their best start at home since 1985-86, having won eight of their nine contests in Rogers Park.
 
Head Coach Kate Achter's Thoughts…
"I really liked our toughness today.  Valparaiso is playing great basketball.  They've had some really big wins in conference play.  I'm really proud of our effort, our toughness, and you saw the resiliency from the start of the game until the end.  It's awesome to have seniors like Allison, Janae, Bre, and Riley show up.  They were fantastic today.  Sam's individual defense was incredible.  We made it really difficult for Valparaiso and I'm really proud."
 
How It Happened
Buckets on consecutive trips from Julia Hoefling and Chandler quickly got Loyola out to a 4-0 lead with just over a minute gone.  Valparaiso answered back, with five straight points from Shay Frederick giving the Beacons a 5-4 edge with 7:47 to play.  The visitors' lead reached five, 12-7, on a Frederick layup at the 4:21 mark, but the Ramblers battled back, as a Hampton-Bey second-chance score in the closing seconds tied things up at 16-16.
 
Following a Riley Blackwell layup 30 seconds in that put the Maroon & Gold back on top, 18-16, back-to-back makes from Day stretched the gap to 22-16 with 8:38 remaining in the half.  Janae Gonzales made her presence felt in the frame's middle stages, drilling a pair of threes to extend the lead to 30-20.  The gap reached 33-21 after a Hampton-Bey split at the line before Valparaiso put up the half's final five points to close within seven, 33-26.
 
After seeing the Beacons trim the margin to four, 33-29, on a conventional three-point play by Leah Earnest, Loyola looked to step on the gas, with a Hampton-Bey driving score that was followed by a Chandler triple reestablishing a nine-point lead, 38-29.  Earnest's bucket just 13 seconds into the second half would prove to be Valparaiso's lone make from the field in the third quarter, as Loyola pushed its advantage to 48-34 on a Day jumper as time wound down.
 
Grace White snapped the visitors' cold spell momentarily with a layup in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter that cut the lead to 48-36.  No comeback would be in the cards for Valparaiso however, as scores from Hampton-Bey and Chandler over the course of the following two minutes gave the Ramblers their largest lead of the night, 52-36.  Loyola coasted from there, climbing back to the .500 mark in conference action.
 
Inside The Box Score
- Loyola's effort on the defensive end of the floor again stole the show, as it limited the Beacons to a 15-for-49 ledger from the field and their lowest offensive output of Valley play.  The Ramblers have now held eight of their last 10 opponents under 40 percent shooting.
- Hampton-Bey spearheaded the attack on the offensive side, stuffing the stat sheet with 14 points (5-11 FGs, 1-3 3FGs, 3-5 FTs), six rebounds, five assists, and a steal.
- Day fell just short of a double-double, adding 13 points (5-11 FGs, 3-3 FTs), nine rebounds, an assist, and a block.
- Chandler scored in double figures for the fifth time in her last six games, matching Day with 13 points (5-13 FGs, 1-5 3FGs, 2-2 FTs) in addition to three rebounds.
- Hoefling, who collected eight rebounds, registered a pair of rejections, her eighth multi-block showing of the season.
- The Ramblers received a spark off the bench from both Gonzales and Blackwell.  Gonzales closed her night with nine points (2-4 FGs, 2-4 3FGs, 3-3 FTs), while Blackwell battled on the glass, ripping down six rebounds, four of which came on the offensive end.
- Frederick led all scorers with 17 points (6-18 FGs, 2-9 3FGs, 3-4 FTs), but was limited to just six points after the first quarter.
 
Up Next
Loyola opens its second swing through MVC play next weekend when it visits Iowa to take on Northern Iowa (February 4) and Drake (February 6).