DAVIDSON, N.C. (February 8, 2023)
 
In Short…
After a furious Rambler rally tied the game on a Sam Galanopoulos layup with 23 seconds left, Loyola (6-18, 1-10 A-10) fell in heartbreaking fashion, 57-55, as Davidson (12-11, 5-4 A-10) found the go-ahead jumper in the final seconds of Wednesday's night's Atlantic 10 contest. Maya Chandler led the Ramblers with 18 points, along with Sitori Tanin's double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Galanopoulos also reached double figures with 11 points.
 
How it Happened
Loyola started strong with its most first-quarter points scored in a conference game this season, outscoring Davidson 19-15 after 10 minutes of play. Tanin got things going with a layup on the game's opening possession, scoring eight of the team's first 14 points to push the Ramblers out to a 14-6 lead at the first media timeout. Loyola also got hot from deep and began the game 3 for 4 from beyond the arc, including back-to-back treys from Kira Chivers and Mallory Ramage as the freshmen duo landed in the starting lineup together for the second straight contest. Davidson battled back to pull within four after a 7-0 run out of the media timeout.
 
The Wildcats grabbed the lead after back-to-back threes to start the second quarter, but Tanin quickly tied the game at 21 to reach double figures at the eight-minute mark. Back-and-forth action ensued as the teams traded seven leads during the quarter. Loyola would close out the period shooting 5 for 7 from the floor, featured by a highlight-reel play with Galanopoulos dropping a full-court dime to Chandler for a layup that lifted the Ramblers to a 31-28 lead with under two minutes left in the half. Another layup by Tanin, who had 12 points at the half, put Loyola ahead by five, 33-28, at the break for the squad's first halftime lead in 10 games.
 
The momentum at Belk Arena shifted heavily for Davidson in the third quarter, with the Wildcats outscoring the Ramblers 17-2 to take a 45-35 lead into the fourth period. Loyola fell victim to eight turnovers after committing only two in the first half, while going without a made field goal in the third stanza.
 
Then, the veteran leadership of Chandler and Galanopoulos took over for the Maroon & Gold. Chandler scored eight consecutive points as Loyola pulled within a couple of possessions early in the period, but Davidson's Elle Sutphin, who scored 14 of her 21 points in the second half, had an answer each time.
 
However, Galanopoulos led the Ramblers back to tie the game as her layup with under four minutes remaining sparked an impressive 10-0 Loyola run, which came after the Wildcats had regained their 10-point lead.

Tanin cut the deficit to four on a layup with under two minutes, and her offensive rebound on the next possession led to a putback from Galanopoulos to make it a two-point game. Then, Galanopoulos got a driving left-handed layup to fall with 23 seconds on the clock to level the score at 55-55.

The Wildcats converted a sideline out-of-bounds play on their final possession as Suzi-Rose Deegan got a tough fadeaway jumper to drop from the elbow with 1.7 seconds remaining.

Loyola called timeout and advanced the ball for its own attempt from the sideline, but came up just short on the final play.
 
Inside the Box Score

• Chandler posted her 13th game in double figures and Galanopoulos her 12th
• Tanin recorded her ninth game in double digits and second career double-double
• Most Loyola points (19) scored in the first quarter of an A-10 game this season
• Loyola had four turnovers combined in the first, second and fourth quarters, but eight total in the third
• The Ramblers shot 53% on 8-of-15 shooting in the final quarter, after going 0 for 7 in the third

Up Next
Loyola returns to Gentile Arena Saturday for a league showdown against St. Bonaventure. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. CT on ESPN+. Three of Loyola's final five games remaining in the regular season will be hosted at Gentile Arena.