ORLANDO, Fla. (December 21, 2022)
 
In Short…
Loyola University Chicago (5-8) closed non-conference play with back-to-back wins at the UCF Christmas Classic by defeating Idaho State (5-6) Wednesday afternoon, 56-44. Sam Galanopoulos scored a career-high 18 points to lead the Ramblers, along with double-digit scoring efforts from Emma Nolan (11) and Anna Brown (10).
 
How It Happened
After a slow start that saw a 19-19 stalemate at the half, Loyola opened things up with an impressive stretch in the third quarter.

Sophia Nolan's traditional three-point play ignited the run, before a three ball from Anna Brown put the Ramblers ahead 29-24 at the under-five minute media timeout. Galanopoulos tacked on five consecutive points out of the break, before Emma Nolan got in the action with five straight points of her own, capping a 10-0 run and putting the Ramblers ahead 44-30.
 
Loyola, which shot 69% in the quarter, tallied more made field goals (9) in the third period than the previous two quarters combined. The Ramblers outscored the Bengals 25-13 after halftime, led by 10 points from Brown and seven from Galanopoulos.
 
Staying out in front by double digits the rest of the way, Loyola limited Idaho State to the fewest points allowed to an opponent all season. The previous low was 45 (UIC) and 46 to yesterday's opponent, Elon.
 
Both teams struggled to get going offensively in the second game of the back-to-back. The Ramblers overcame an early eight-point deficit when Idaho State jumped out to an 11-3 lead in the opening period. Emma Nolan and Galanopoulos led a comeback charge that saw the Ramblers take a 14-11 lead with 6:43 in the second quarter, following an 11-0 Loyola run to gain momentum. Mallory Ramage buried a 3-pointer with seven seconds before halftime to even the score. Both teams combined for 24 turnovers in the first half alone.
 
Inside The Box Score

• Loyola recorded a 33-26 edge in rebounding, winning the glass battle for the second straight game
• The Ramblers forced a season-high 22 turnovers and tied their season-high with 13 steals
• Loyola outscored Idaho State 15-2 in fastbreak points
• Loyola shot nearly 40% overall from the field and knocked down 12 of 14 (85.7%) FT attempts
• Idaho State made just 15 field-goal attempts overall in the contest, tying the season-low by a Loyola opponent for the second straight game (Elon)
• Galanopoulos tied her career-high with seven made field goals, she has scored double digits in 5 of 6 games and led the team with four assists
• Emma Nolan tied her season-high with 11 points for the second time in three games, she also led the team with eight rebounds
• Brown tallied double-digit points in two straight outings for first time since the first two games of the season
• Kira Chivers recorded a career-high four steals, marking her fourth outing with at least two steals
• Julia Hoefling logged a career-high three steals, while Maya Chandler also grabbed three takeaways
• Hoefling totaled seven boards including four on the offensive glass
• Ramage posted a career-high five points and grabbed a career-high three rebounds for second straight game
• ISU's Finley Garnett led the Bengals with 13 points with three 3-pointers 

Up Next
Loyola returns to action next week with its Atlantic 10 opener at Saint Louis on Wednesday, Dec. 28 (7 p.m. CT). The Ramblers return to Gentile Arena after New Year's Day with back-to-back conference home games against Richmond (Jan. 4) and UMass (Jan. 7).