CHICAGO – Powered by Alyssa Fisher's season-high 28 points, the Loyola University Chicago women's basketball team defeated Saint Louis, 74-72, to earn its first Atlantic 10 victory of the season. Close behind was Sam Galanopoulos who scored 19 points while five other Ramblers landed on the box score.

"Big win for our program and I'm particularly happy with our first and third quarter defensive performances, especially coming off a game against talented St. Bonaventure where I was really, really frustrated with the lack of effort on the defensive end," said head Loyola Chicago coach Allison Guth. "I think in two days of turnaround - I was really pleased, especially with how we came out of the gates. We knew it was important to set the tone early,"

How it Happened
The 'Blers ( 7-6,1-1 Atlantic 10) raced out to an 11-2 lead in the first frame behind four-straight made field goals. Saint Louis (5-10,0-2 Atlantic 10) found its footing though and embarked on a 10-0 run to claim a 12-11 advantage with 2:42 to play in the quarter. Aaliyah Moore, who tied her season-high with six points, stymied the run after her layup in the paint.

Galanopoulos drilled a 3-pointer from Sitori Tanin to open scoring in the second quarter, giving Loyola a 19-16 edge. But the Billikens responded with a 9-0 run and later built a seven-point lead (40-33) as the halftime buzzer sounded.  

But, with SLU's best highest-scoring quarter in the rear-view mirror, the Maroon and Gold started the second half on fire. At one point in the third frame, Loyola sunk 10-straight field goals, culminating in 22 points – its highest-scoring quarter of the evening. Loyola closed the quarter on a 14-5 run, erasing an eight-point deficit (41-49), to lead by one point (55-54) over the Billkens heading into the final quarter.    

It was a back-and-forth slug fest in the fourth quarter, but the Ramblers held the edge on the offensive side of the floor. Fisher drained the go-ahead 3-pointer with 38 seconds on the clock, pushing Loyola Chicago in front, 73-72. Then, Tanin brought down a crucial rebound after SLU's failed basket to seal Loyola's win.

Notes

• With a new season-high and just two points shy of tying her career-best, Fisher tallied 28 points in the win. She added two steals, two rebounds, and three assists.
• Fisher's double-figure game was her fourth-straight and ninth of the season.
• Galanopoulos logged 19 points for her fourth-straight game in double-digits. She notched four rebounds, and a team-high six assists as well.
• Moore tied her season-best with six points off the bench.
• Kira Chivers tallied six points and broke her season-high in assists with four. She also tied her season-high of rebounds (four).

Up Next
The 'Blers take their second A-10 road trip of the season this Saturday (Jan. 6) as the squad takes on Dayton. Tip-off is set for 11 a.m. CT with the game streaming live on ESPN+.