CHICAGO – Jess Finney scored a game-high 19 points in Loyola's 76-60 win over West Georgia Saturday night inside Gentile Arena. Leading wire-to-wire, the Ramblers shot the ball at a 50-percent (29-of-58) clip and cashed in nine 3-pointers, securing their first 2-0 start since the 2019-20 season.

"I think that tonight, what we're most pleased about for our team as we prepare for DePaul on Tuesday is we like to see our offense moving the basketball," said Loyola Chicago Head Coach Allison Guth. "Obviously getting 22 assists on 29 shot attempt is a is a really good thing for us in terms of how we're moving the basketball. But I've got to say, we step away loving having some equal opportunities in scoring. Obviously, the woman to the left of me, J-Finney [Jess Finney], setting the tone in the way that we scored the basketball tonight. But we must be more disciplined on the defensive end. And I think we'll get back to the lab tomorrow as we prepare."

How it Happened
For the second straight game, the Ramblers (2-0, 0-0 A-10) opened scoring with a 3-pointer. Jess Finney had the honor, draining a triple from Kira Chivers on LUC's first possession. A few moments later, Thoranna Kika Hodge-Carr used a steal-and-score to put Loyola on top, 8-4. The bucket sparked a 12-1 Loyola run, which was capped by Emma Theodorsson's triple, to help the team take a commanding 17-5 advantage.  

West Georgia (0-2, 0-0 ASUN) held Loyola to a lower scoring output in the second quarter, but Theodorsson and Finney combined for steady production keep the Wolves at bay. The duo teamed up for a 4-of-6 shooting performance, including two threes, to maintain Loyola's lead. Loyola Chicago headed into the locker room in front, 42-26.

After Hodge-Carr and Nae Bernard opened scoring for Loyola in the third quarter, the Ramblers used a 9-0 run to take its largest lead of the evening, a 25-point advantage (56-31). Loyola ended the third fame shooting 57-percent (8-of-14) from the floor, 33-percent (2-of-6) from 3-point range, and a perfect 100-percent (2-of-2) from the free throw line.

West Georgia crept back into the game in the fourth quarter after an 11-4 run shrunk the Wolves' deficit to 16 points (66-50). LUC responded with a 5-0 run, but UWG again took off on a 7-0 to bring Loyola's lead down to 14 points (71-57) with under four to play. It was too little too late though as two big buckets from Yasmyn Palmer and Bernard in the waning moments of the game sealed Loyola's win.

Notes

• Finney's 19 Points were a season-high, her second double digit scoring game of the year, and her 11th career double digit scoring game.
• Theodorsson's 15 bench points were a season-high and marked her second double figure scoring game of the year.
• Rosalie Mercille's eight points were a season-high.
• In her first career game, Yasmyn Palmer notched  two points, two rebounds, and one block.
• Kendall Hendrix tallied her first career assist.
• Alexa Kinas' three assists, two rebounds, and two steals were career-highs.
• Kira Chivers' four assists were a season-high.
• Hodge-Carr's eight points, five rebounds, and two steals were season-highs.
• Sitori Tanin's five assists were a season-high.

Up Next
Looking to start the season 3-0 for the first time since 2019-20, Loyola Chicago hosts crosstown rival, DePaul, for its next game. Tip-off from Gentile Arena is set for 7 p.m. CT with the action streaming live on Marquee Network and ESPN+.