CHICAGO (February 12, 2022)
 
In Short…
Riley Blackwell turned in her top performance as a Rambler, leading an impressive showing by the Maroon & Gold's bench unit, as Loyola University Chicago defeated visiting Bradley (4-18, 1-12 MVC) by a final score of 56-41 this afternoon inside Gentile Arena.  Today's win, which snaps a brief three-game losing streak for Loyola, sees the Ramblers move to 13-10 overall (5-7 MVC).
 
Head Coach Kate Achter's Thoughts…
"Very happy to find ourselves back in the win column.  I thought our effort today was excellent.  Bradley's record doesn't reflect how they're playing right now.  They play really hard and have two great guards in Caroline Waite and Tatum Koenig.  It was difficult for us because we had to chase them around all over the place, so I thought we were a little fatigued, but still found a way to execute.  We had a huge third quarter and got a huge effort from our bench."
 
How It Happened
Loyola started ice cold from the field, going the first 4:42 without a made attempt before Sitori Tanin finished inside to pull the Ramblers within one, 5-4.  Threes on consecutive trips shortly after by Maya Chandler and Allison Day gave the hosts their first lead of the day, 10-7, with 2:25 to play as the Ramblers held a 12-9 edge at the end of the first quarter.
 
Anna Brown dialed in from outside just over two minutes into the second frame, stretching the lead to 17-12.  Bradley answered with a 7-0 run, taking a 19-17 lead on an Abbie Draper bucket with 5:36 remaining in the half.  Baskets from Brown and Blackwell, respectively, saw Loyola regain the lead, 21-19, before Bre Hampton-Bey collected an offensive board and scored with time winding down to give the Maroon & Gold a 23-19 lead at halftime.
 
Loyola took control for the afternoon thanks to a 20-6 surge that spanned the final 6:20 of the third quarter.  Julia Hoefling connected with Tanin on back-to-back trips just before the midway point of the frame, the second of which stretched the gap to 31-24 and forced a Bradley timeout.  Blackwell took over in the minutes following, rattling off the Ramblers' next 10 points, as the lead ballooned to 45-30 after three quarters of play.
 
Janae Gonzales splashed home a three just 29 seconds into the final frame, giving Loyola its largest lead of the game, 48-30.  Bradley got no closer than 13 the rest of the way, failing to connect on a shot for the final 3:38 of regulation.
 
Inside The Box Score
- Blackwell led the charge, erupting for a season-high 15 points (5-9 FGs, 3-6 3FGs, 2-2 FTs) as part of a day that saw Loyola finish with a 31-2 advantage in bench points.
- Chandler chipped in nine points (2-3 3FGs, 1-1 3FGs, 4-4 FTs) and came down with seven rebounds.
- Tanin capped off a productive weekend of her own, adding eight points (4-11 FGs) and seven rebounds.
- Hoefling, who finished with four points (1-3 FGs, 2-2 FTs), ripped down a team-high nine caroms and swatted a pair of shots, her 10^th game with two or more rejections this season.
- Sam Galanopoulos dished out four assists, while Hampton-Bey again made her impact felt on the defensive end, swiping a game-high three steals in addition to seven points (2-10 FGs, 3-3 FTs), six rebounds, and three assists.
- For the second time in as many games against Bradley this season, Loyola gave the Braves no room to operate offensively, limiting the visitors to just 25 percent (15-for-59) shooting, the low mark by a Rambler opponent this season.
- Loyola improved to a perfect 5-0 when holding opponents under 30 percent efficiency in 2021-22.
- Tatum Koenig matched Blackwell on the afternoon with 15 points (6-16 FGs, 3-8 3FGs) to lead Bradley.
 
Up Next
Loyola wraps up a three-game homestand on Tuesday, February 15 at 5 p.m. when it hosts Indiana State.