ORLANDO, Fla. (December 20, 2022)
 
In Short…
Coming off a pair of disappointing losses, Loyola University Chicago (4-8) bounced back with by far its most dominant performance this season, racing past Elon (4-6), 72-46, Tuesday afternoon inside Addition Financial Arena. Anna Brown scored a career-high 19 points on 5-of-10 shooting from three-point range, while Sophia Nolan poured in 16 points to lead a balanced Loyola attack that saw 10 different players reach the scoring column.
 
How It Happened
Loyola blitzed Elon from the start, building 25-5 lead after one quarter, as the Ramblers never trailed in the first-ever meeting between the two programs. It was Loyola's highest-scoring quarter of the season as well as the largest lead for the Ramblers in the first half of any game this year.
 
Brown recorded 11 points in the opening stanza, going 4 for 4 from the field which included three treys. Maya Chandler's fastbreak layup put the Ramblers ahead 10-1 which forced an early Elon timeout near the six-minute mark. Then, a conventional three-point play by Sitori Tanin and Brown's second three extended the lead to 18-3 as the Ramblers rattled off an impressive 13-0 run. Loyola shot 50% (9-18) in the first quarter while forcing eight turnovers and limiting Elon to 18% (2-11) shooting.
 
Elon tried to climb back in the second quarter, stringing together seven unanswered points which trimmed Loyola's lead down to 10 points midway through the frame. However, the Ramblers responded with Emma Nolan's old-fashioned three-point play at the four-minute mark and prevented the lead from creeping down into single digits the rest of the way. Sam Galanopoulos put the Ramblers ahead by 16 at the break, 39-23, with a layup in the final minute of first-half action which followed a huge block by Tanin on the other end of the floor.
 
It was the largest halftime lead of the season for Loyola, one point greater than its halftime advantage in the season opener at Western Michigan. The Ramblers had eight assists on 14 made field goals in the opening 20 minutes.
 
Loyola's dominance continued into the third quarter where it outscored Elon 20-10, thanks to another stout defensive showing in limiting the Phoenix to just two field goals. The Ramblers used a 12-5 edge on the glass including five offensive boards to control the interior. Sophia Nolan registered seven points in the third period, including a 3-pointer with under three minutes to extend the lead to 23 (55-32).
 
Brown buried back-to-back treys to reach 19 points in the fourth quarter, as the lead swelled to as much as 30 near the end of the game when freshman Whitney Dunn knocked down a jumper for her first career made field goal.
 
Inside The Box Score

• Loyola scored its most points in a win, and finished one point off the team's season-high total (73)
• The Ramblers made their most field goals (25) in a game this season, and surrendered the fewest (15)
• Loyola also held Elon to the lowest opponent shooting percentage .294 (15-51) allowed this season
• Elon's Chloe Williams was the only Phoenix player in double digits with 11 points
• Loyola shot 41% overall in the contest (25-61) and 32% from three-point range (8-25)
• Brown logged a career high in four categories with 19 points, 3 assists (tied), 7 FG, 5 3FG (tied)
• Sophia Nolan tied her career high with a pair of treys and attempted a career high 10 free throws, most by a Rambler this season
• Kira Chivers (6 rebs) and Mallory Ramage (4 pts, 3 rebs) each produced career-best efforts
• Maya Chandler tied her career high with four steals, most by a Rambler this season
• Loyola grabbed a season-high 42 rebounds, marking its highest plus-margin on the glass (42-30) this season
• 15 assists are tied for the second-most by the squad this season
• 10 steals are the second-most this season, and the second contest with 10 or more
• Both teams had 18 turnovers

Up Next
Loyola will close out the UCF Christmas Classic tomorrow afternoon against Idaho State. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT at Addition Financial Arena.