CHICAGO – With four Ramblers scoring in double figures, including a game-high 17 from Naelle Bernard, Loyola Chicago beat Kentucky State in its season opener, 91-56, Monday night inside Gentile Arena. The win marked the Maroon and Gold's fifth season-opening triumph in the last six seasons.   

"I'm really proud of our team's effort for, what I would say, was a really well-played basketball game," said Loyola Chicago Head Coach Allison Guth. "I've got a tremendous amount of respect (for Kentucky State) - those who haven't followed Kentucky State, they were in the championship of their conference tournament last year, won 21 games, and I think that team plays really hard.

Sharing the ball effectively, Loyola Chicago racked up 17 assists while the bench produced an impressive 45 points. 11 Ramblers recorded a bucket with seven tallying seven or more points.

"I'm really pleased with the way that we moved the ball," Guth continued. "I definitely think we had some deficiencies in unforced turnovers, and I do think that Kentucky State sped us up in moments that we must have composure and poise, but sharing it 17 times matters to us, having four players in double figures, having bench production be so impressive (was great to see),"

How it Happened
Loyola (1-0, 0-0 Atlantic 10) started the 2024-25 campaign with Bernard draining a 3-pointer on its first possession, setting the tone for a dominate performance. Sitori Tanin's hoop-and-harm play at the 4:08 mark stretched LUC's advantage to seven points (11-4) before Audrey Deptula's trey at 1:33 made it a 10-point lead (16-16).

The Ramblers' defense held KSU 0-of-4 from three and 4-of-13 from the field in the second quarter. Meanwhile, the 'Blers cashed in eight of their 15 attempts from the floor to take control. A 12-4 run from Loyola gave the home team its largest lead of the first half (17 points) with Bernard's layup on the fastbreak capping the sprint with 2:13 left before halftime.

Loyola Chicago knocked down 4-of-10 3-point attempts in the second half, helping the team pull away from the Thorobreds. Rosalie Mercille made her first triple of the game at the 7:21 mark in the third quarter to put Loyola in front, 44-28. The Montréal native then grabbed a steal on KSU's next possession, setting up Sitori Tanin for a layup that extended the lead to 18 points - the team's largest advantage so far.

In the fourth and final quarter, Loyola's first basket, an Emma Theodorsson three, sparked a 19-point run for the Ramblers. With a suffocating 36-point (80-44) advantage, Loyola Chicago allowed more bench players to enter the game while the team cruised to a 91-56 win.

Notes

• Loyola Chicago out-rebounded KSU, 43-35.
• The Ramblers turned 18 Kentucky State turnovers into 17 points.
• Vaughn and Jess Finney crashed the glass for seven boards each to lead the team.
• Bernard posted a game-high 17 points (5-7 FG, 2-3 3PT, 5-5 FT) and gathered two assists and three rebounds.
• Finney scored 11 points and had six assists, a game-high. Her seven boards tied her career-high.
• Theodorsson went 7-of-7 at the charity stripe to lead the team. She ended the night with 14 points and three rebounds.
• Vaughn was close behind with 13 points and a trio of steals.

 
Up Next
LUC returns to the floor this Saturday (Nov. 9) as the team hosts West Georgia. Tip-off inside Gentile Arena is slated for 7 p.m. CT with the game streaming live on ESPN+.