CHICAGO – The Loyola University Chicago women's basketball team lost to league-leading Saint Joseph's, 61-50, Wednesday night inside Gentile Arena. The Ramblers' defense held St. Joe's to below its point season-average of 67.3, but it wasn't enough as the Hawks claimed their 20^th win of 2023-24.

"You hear coaches say that defense wins championships and we held these guys to a low in terms of under their season average, particularly in the third and fourth with better defense," said Loyola head coach Allison Guth. "But we wanted to come out firing. St. Joe's is a talented team. They're experienced, they're physical, they're tough, and they're disciplined. And we can step away from this game learning a lot from [Saint Joseph's head coach] Cindy (Griffin), her staff, and her players. We have a tremendous amount of respect for them, but we cannot have a let up like we did (in the second quarter),"

How it Happened
The Maroon and Gold (11-10, 5-5 Atlantic 10) started out hot, going three-for-three from the field and sinking two free throws to make the score 8-4 at the first media timeout. After the break though, Saint Joseph's (20-2, 9-1 Atlantic 10) came alive on the offensive side of the floor, ending the frame on a 15-3 run to claim a 19-11 lead as the first quarter ended.

Sam Galanopoulos scored a second-chance layup at the 7:22 mark in the second quarter to make the score 21-13, SJU, but the Hawks held the edge after shooting the ball at a 67-percent (6-9) clip through the 10 minutes and outscoring Loyola, 13-6. Kira Chivers made an incredible shot from beyond half court as time expired for Loyola's highlight of the half.

Loyola Chicago began to turn things around after the halftime break, making 5-11 field goals (46-percent) and going two-for-two at the free throw line. Alyssa Fisher, who scored six points through the frame, sunk two shots at the charity stripe to cap an 8-2 Loyola sprint which made the score 44-27.

Loyola's positive outings on the offensive end continued into the fourth quarter as the 'Blers outscored Saint Joseph's, 21-14, through the frame. Fisher's 3-pointer and Galanopoulos' jumper in the paint to end the game shrunk the deficit to 11 points (61-50), its smallest since trailing by 10 points at the 6:53 mark in the second quarter. But it ultimately wasn't enough as the final buzzer sounded.

Notes

• 317 Loyola students were in attendance for tonight's game, breaking the program record of 294 which was previously established Feb. 1, 2022, against Dayton.
• Loyola ended the night 44-percent (20-46) from the field and 45-percent (4-9) from long range. The Ramblers were 6-10 at the line.
• Sitori Tanin notched a career-high five blocks in the loss. She had previously totaled four blocks in four separate games throughout her career.
  • While scoring eight points, she also brought down a game-high 10 rebounds for the second straight game. Her tenacity on the glass helped the 'Blers out-rebound the Hawks, 26-25.
• Fisher, who totaled a game-high 19 points, added five boards, two assists and a block.
• Galanopoulos was close behind with 14 points, six assists, two seals, and three rebounds.
• Aaliyah Moore dished out a trio of assists to mark a new season-high. She scored four points to lead the bench which outscored St. Joe's, 7-4.

Up Next
The Ramblers return to action Saturday (Feb. 3) as the squad plays host to George Mason inside Gentile. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. CT with the game streaming live on ESPN+.