MOLINE, Ill. (March 11, 2022)
 
In Short…
Juliunn Redmond scored a game-high 29 points as fourth-seeded Illinois State (17-13, 12-6 MVC) withstood multiple rallies by fifth-seeded Loyola University Chicago, defeating the Ramblers by a final score of 68-52 in the quarterfinals of the Missouri Valley Conference Championship this afternoon inside TaxSlayer Center in Moline, Ill.  Today's result sees Loyola fall to 18-12 overall (10-8 MVC), with its 18 victories this season standing as the program's top win total since the 1988-89 campaign.
 
How It Happened
Redmond got Illinois State off to a blazing start, scoring 10 of the Redbirds' first 12 points, as her jumper at the 4:38 mark gave Illinois State a 12-4 lead.  Following an Allison Day jumper that had knotted things up at 4-4, Loyola went scoreless for the final 6:34 of the frame, staring down a 16-4 deficit.
 
The Maroon & Gold looked to flip the switch on the offensive end in the second quarter, rattling off nine unanswered points.  Anna Brown connected from outside to cut the gap to 16-9 before a Sam Galanopoulos floater rattled home to pull Loyola within three, 16-13, with just over two minutes gone.  Another score from Day closed the margin to 17-15 at the 6:53 mark, but Illinois State answered back with a run of its own, closing the half with a 12-3 surge to open up a 29-18 lead at halftime.
 
With Illinois State holding on to a 31-20 advantage in the middle stages of the third quarter, Galanopoulos buried a triple to spark a 7-0 Rambler run that was capped off by back-to-back buckets from Julia Hoefling, the second of which brought Loyola within four, 31-27, with 5:17 to go.  Maya Chandler added five straight points shortly after, rising up in the paint to knock down a jumper that again made it a two-point game, 34-32, at the 2:58 mark.  In a game of runs, the Redbirds responded with another, as Redmond bookended an 8-0 spurt with triples, sending Illinois State into the fourth quarter with a 42-33 edge.
 
Loyola refused to go away without a fight, as Chandler hit again with 8:36 to play in regulation, clawing the Ramblers within nine, 46-37.  The Maroon & Gold cut the gap to eight, 54-46, on two Chandler makes at the free throw line with 5:07 remaining, but, despite holding Illinois State without a make from the field for the final 4:39, Loyola would get no closer, as the Redbirds punched their ticket to Saturday's semifinals.
 
Inside The Box Score
- Chandler paced Loyola on the afternoon with 12 points (4-11 FGs, 2-6 3FGs, 2-2 FTs), all of which came in the second half.  Today's effort marked her 17^th game in double figures this season.
- Day matched a career-high by ripping down 12 rebounds in addition to seven points (3-10 FGs, 1-2 FTs) and two assists.
- Bre Hampton-Bey had an active afternoon, finishing with six points (2-9 FGs, 2-4 FTs), three rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
- Loyola tied a season low today with only six turnovers, a mark that is also tied for the fewest in an MVC Tournament game since 2013.
- Redmond posted her aforementioned 29-point effort (12-25 FGs, 2-2 3FGs, 3-5 FTs) to lead all scorers.
 
Head Coach Kate Achter's Thoughts…
"I couldn't be prouder of the fight that our team showed.  To start being down, 16-4, was less than ideal, but we fought back.  It didn't end that the way that we would've liked it to, but it took a really heroic performance from Juliunn Redmond, who was incredible today.  I'm really pleased with the fight that we showed.  Disappointed with the end result, but I've got a great basketball team and I think we've done a lot to position ourselves for postseason play."