CHICAGO – The Loyola University Chicago women's basketball team fell to DePaul, 75-60, Tuesday night inside Gentile Arena. Loyola Chicago had three score in double figures and led the Blue Demons after the first quarter, but a couldn't overcome the visitors in the second half.

"Disappointing performance for us tonight," said Loyola Head Coach Allison Guth. "As we step away from this one, we have ton of respect for DePaul and the tradition of success in their program. What Coach Bruno has built and what Interim Head Coach Jill M. Pizzotti is doing with her staff - there's no one in the room who respects them more than me,"

With its first blemish of 2024-25, Loyola falls to 2-1 overall.

"What I didn't love for us is we knew it was going to come down to valuing the possession. 23 turnovers that DePaul scores 27 points off of – you've got to be able to handle the pressure in this situation, and we didn't do a great job of it tonight."

How it Happened

DePaul (2-1, 0-0 BIG EAST) opened the game on a 10-5 run, but Loyola Chicago (2-1, 0-0 Atlantic 10) quickly closed the gap. With under five minutes left in the first quarter, Sitori Tanin's layup and Emma Theodorsson's make at the charity stripe made it a two-point (10-8) game. The Ramblers started to get hot with a minute left in quarter, going 3-of-3 from the floor to take the lead over the visitors. LUC's 8-3 run in the final minute was capped by Naelle Bernard's three-pointer, helping Loyola go on top, 17-16.

Despite Loyola matching its 6-of-11 shooting performance from the first quarter in the second, DePaul elevated its shooting on the offensive end, gradually seizing control of the game. The Maroon and Gold held a 29-28 lead following Thoranna Kika Hodge-Carr's jumper with 3:49 remaining in the half, but it would be their final advantage of the game. From there, the Blue Demons responded with a 9-2 run, securing a 37-31 lead at halftime.

Loyola was held without a field goal for the first 6:29 minutes of the third quarter – Rosalie Mercille's basket ended the drought, making the score 51-35, DePaul. Tanin's jumper in the paint with less than a minute left in the quarter made Loyola's deficit 53-41.

The Ramblers fought until the final horn through the final 10 minutes. The team had its best shooting percentage in the frame, making 67-percent (6-of-9) of their shots from the field while cashing in five points at the charity stripe. However, DePaul's steady play helped it hold on and win it, 75-60.    

Notes

•          Loyola's bench outscored DePaul's, 14-6.
•          Loyola ended the night 22-of-46 (48-percent) from the field.
•          Three Ramblers finished in double figures: Bernard led the way with 15, Tanin was close behind with 13 while Chivers totaled 12.
•          Bernard smashed her season- high in assists with five, just one shy of tying her career-high.
•          Mercille earned a new career-high with three assists and tied her season-high in points with eight.

Up Next

Loyola is next in action this Saturday (Nov. 16) as the team heads south for its first road test. The Ramblers will face off against SIUE at 1 p.m. CT with the game streaming live on ESPN+.