TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (February 18, 2022)
In Short…
Bre Hampton-Bey pumped in a season-high tying 16 points to help guide Loyola University Chicago to a 61-59 win over Indiana State (10-14, 5-8 MVC) this evening at the Hulman Center in Terre Haute, Ind. Following tonight's triumph, Loyola's second over the Sycamores in a 72-hour span, the Ramblers climb to 15-10 overall and 7-7 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
Head Coach Kate Achter's Thoughts…
"Any win in February is a great win. I think Indiana State is a very good basketball team, and we found a way to close it out down the stretch. I'm really proud of our late-game execution. We had some players step up in big-time situations. Bre had a great day, and Sam (Galanopoulos) did well handling their ball pressure. Anna (Brown) hit another big three and got a big defensive rebound down the stretch. I don't care if it's pretty. All that matters is that it's a win."
How It Happened
Hampton-Bey accounted for six of Loyola's first 10 points on the night, the last two of which came on a steal and score that put the Ramblers up, 10-4, and forced an Indiana State timeout. After a
Jala Johnson layup stretched the margin to 12-4, the Maroon & Gold went scoreless for the final 2:57 of the first quarter, as the Sycamores used a 7-0 run, capped off by a Marie Hunter floater as time expired, to close the gap to 12-11.
Loyola opened the second frame with another push, rattling off six straight points, as it opened an 18-11 lead on a
Julia Hoefling layup with less than 90 seconds gone. Indiana State continued to stay within striking distance, chipping the Ramblers' lead down to 20-18 after Natalia Lalic received a friendly roll on her try from outside.
Janae Gonzales countered with a quick-trigger trey with 1:32 to play in the half, as Loyola headed into halftime in a 27-23 lead.
Indiana State flipped the script to open the second half, using an 8-2 surge to take its first lead of the night, 31-29, on a Hunter fast break score that prompted a Loyola timeout at the 7:37 mark. Hampton-Bey snapped Loyola's cold spell with 5:19 to go, connecting on a mid-range jumper to pull the Ramblers within two, 33-31. Johnson pulled Loyola level, 41-41, off a great find by Hoefling in the closing minute, setting the stage for a dramatic fourth quarter.
Loyola went back to Hampton-Bey in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter and she delivered, driving inside to put the Ramblers back on top, 45-43 with 8:10 remaining in regulation. After seeing
Sam Galanopoulos muscle up an attempt inside to give Loyola a 47-45 edge,
Anna Brown connected on one of the night's biggest shots, drilling a second-chance three to stretch the margin to 50-45 at the 6:30 mark. Things remained tight down the stretch. With Loyola nursing a 59-56 lead following a Hampton-Bey split at the free throw line,
Allison Day came up with a key steal on Lalic's inbound pass from the front court with only 11 seconds to go, as the Ramblers closed out a third straight win inside the Hulman Center.
Inside The Box Score
- Hampton-Bey finished 6-of-11 from the field and 4-of-6 from the free throw line en route to her team-high scoring output, matching her season high set back on December 11 against Central Michigan. Loyola is 9-1 (.900) this season when Hampton-Bey, who also came away with two steals, scores at least 10 points.
- Galanopoulos scored in double figures for a seventh time in 2021-22, chipping in 13 points (3-6 FGs, 7-8 FTs) and a team-best four assists.
- Hoefling came close to a first career double-double, closing her night with eight points (3-6 FGs, 2-2 FTs) and eight rebounds in addition to two assists and three blocks. With her three rejections this evening, Hoefling, who has 46 blocks to her name this season, moved into sole possession of fifth place on the program's single-season record board in the category.
- Del'Janae Williams led all scorers with 18 points (5-15 FGs, 1-3 3FGs, 7-9 FTs) for Indiana State.
Up Next
Loyola continues south on Interstate 41 for a 1 p.m. matchup with Evansville on Sunday inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse.
