CHICAGO (December 7, 2022)
 
In Short…
Maya Chandler put up a career-high 23 points as DePaul (6-3, 1-0 BIG EAST) used a second-quarter surge to take control as it handed Loyola University Chicago (3-7) a 78-52 defeat this evening inside Gentile Arena.

How It Happened
Loyola battled its way through a slow start on the offensive end, misfiring on its first six attempts from the floor.  Maya Chandler drove along the baseline to get the Ramblers on the board, 5-2, with 6:35 remaining in the first quarter.  The junior guard knocked down a three on Loyola's next trip, trimming DePaul's lead to 7-5.  Sophia Nolan finished inside to tie the game at 9-9 before two Chandler makes at the free throw line gave the Maroon & Gold their first lead of the night, 11-9, at the 3:59 mark.  DePaul countered with a 6-0 spurt to edge back in front, 15-11, as the Blue Demons carried a 19-13 lead into the second quarter.
 
DePaul forced Loyola into a handful of early turnovers in the second frame, miscues that fueled a 13-0 Blue Demon tear over the opening 4:43 of the frame that stretched the visitors' lead to 32-13 on an Anaya Peoples mid-range score.  Anna Brown connected in the paint to snap a drought that elapsed over seven minutes for the Ramblers, cutting the gap to 35-15, but DePaul kept its foot on the gas the rest of the half, charging into halftime with a 40-15 lead.
 
The Blue Demons looked to pick up right where they left off coming out of the intermission, scoring the half's first six points, four of which came from Aneesah Morrow, to extend the gap to 46-15 and prompt a Loyola timeout with just over two minutes gone. 
 
Following a layup from Jala Johnson that gave the Ramblers their first points of the half, Sam Galanopoulos looked to make her presence felt, scoring on back-to-back trips to trim the margin to 51-21 at the 4:21 mark of the third quarter. 
 
Loyola battled until the end, clawing back to within 70-44 on Anna Brown's second triple of the night just past the midway point of the fourth quarter, but would get no closer as DePaul closed out its seventh consecutive win in the all-time series.
 
Inside The Box Score
- Chandler finished 7-for-11 from the field and knocked down a pair of threes en-route to her aforementioned career-best night.
- Galanopoulos added 11 points (4-11 FGs, 3-4 FTs) and came down with a team-best six rebounds.
- DePaul's vaunted pressure defense was on full display, forcing 19 Rambler turnovers that resulted in 29 points on the other end of the floor.
- Morrow was dominant on both ends of the floor, putting up 25 points (11-22 FGs, 2-6 3FGs, 1-2 FTs) and 14 rebounds to pace the Blue Demons.
 
Up Next
Loyola makes the short trip up Interstate 94 to Milwaukee, Wis. on Saturday, December 10 to take on rv/rv Marquette in a 2 p.m. inside the Al McGuire Center.