ST. LOUIS, Mo. (December 28, 2022)
 
In Short…
Loyola (6-8, 1-0 A-10) earned its third straight win by defeating Saint Louis (4-12, 0-1 A-10) in the Atlantic 10 opener for both teams Wednesday night, 60-47, inside Chaifetz Arena. Maya Chandler and Sam Galanopoulos led the Ramblers with 15 points apiece while Sitori Tanin and Kira Chivers both reached double digits at 10 points each. Loyola has now held each of its previous three opponents under 50 points during the win streak.
 
How It Happened
Loyola bounced back from a sluggish start, overcoming an 8-0 deficit in the opening three minutes by closing the first quarter on an 8-0 run of its own. The Ramblers started just 2 of 10 from the field but tied the game at 10-10 heading to the second period, after a layup by Kira Chivers and back-to-back jumpers from Maya Chandler capped the first frame.
 
SLU's Briana Johns ended the extended scoring drought for the hosts to take a 12-10 advantage, before the two teams would exchange leads in the second quarter. Sam Galanopoulos finished a left-handed layup for Loyola's first lead of the night, 13-12, at the 7:10 mark but that was short-lived after SLU quickly regained the lead.
 
Loyola moved back in front 18-17 on a Chivers trey, which marked the first made 3-pointer of the game, and the Ramblers remained out in front heading into halftime with a 25-21 lead. Chandler's three near the end of the quarter closed a 7-0 run which saw the Ramblers go 4 for 5 from the field, including a pretty pull-up jumper from Mallory Ramage. Loyola shot 42% in the opening half while holding the Billikens to just 29% shooting and 0 for 7 from three-point range.
 
In the third quarter, SLU tied the game at 25-25 on a steal and jumper by Kyla McMakin to force an early timeout called by Loyola. The Ramblers missed their first three shots and turned it over twice, but a conventional three-point play by Sophia Nolan ignited another run. A driving layup by Sitori Tanin capped a 12-4 run over the next four-plus minutes as the Ramblers went up 37-29, before carrying a 44-37 lead into the fourth quarter.
 
Loyola kept the momentum rolling in the final stanza as a Chandler 3-pointer provided the first double-digit lead of the night. The Ramblers outscored the Billikens 7-1 to start the fourth, as a layup by Chivers made it 49-38 and gave the freshman a new career-high mark of 10 points. The lead swelled to as much as 58-62 midway through the quarter on another three by Chandler.
 
Inside The Box Score

• Loyola didn't allow a made 3-pointer to an opponent for the second time this season (Virginia)
• The Ramblers limited the Billikens to 23.8% (15-63) shooting – the lowest FG% by an opponent this season – while the Billikens attempted 22 free throws – the most surrendered by Loyola this season
• Each of Loyola's previous three opponents were held to a season-low 15 made field goals
• Loyola shot 43.4% (23-53) overall and 5 for 20 (25%) from beyond the arc
• SLU's last lead was 19-18 at 3:45 in the second quarter
• The teams combined for 41 turnovers and SLU held the rebounding edge 47-35
• Tanin grabbed a team-high eight rebounds and dished a team-best three assists
• SLU's McMakin led all scorers with 16 points (4-20 FG) on 8-for-8 shooting at the line

Up Next
Loyola will return to action in 2023 with home games against Richmond (Jan. 4) and UMass (Jan. 7) next week.