CHICAGO – The Loyola University Chicago women's basketball team halted its three-game skid Wednesday night with a 64-52 win over Massachusetts inside Gentile Arena. Sitori Tanin scored 18 points, leading Loyola's offensive onslaught. Ali Berg and Sam Galanopoulos also scored in double-figures as Loyola picked up its 13^th win of the season.

"I'm so proud of our team effort today," said Loyola head coach Allison Guth after the win. "I've got a ton of respect for UMass and who they are and how they play. I think the leadership of Sitori Tanin, being able to be a consistent presence on the interior, was huge for us when we started scoring the ball outside in the second quarter. Ali Berg got hot there too. When you come away from the game with 19 assists, that's a good night for you. I still think we have to value the possession a little bit differently, but our rebounding was fantastic. It's the 14 offensive boards. That's the difference in this game for us."

How it Happened
Although UMass (3-25, 1-15 Atlantic 10) had a four-point lead with 2:23 left in the opening quarter, Loyola Chicago (13-14, 7-9 Atlantic 10) shook off the slow start, ending the first frame on a 9-0 run to claim a 17-12 lead. The run was exemplified by Loyola securing the final possession after a UMass turnover with three and half second left. Kira Chivers drove to the lane and beat the buzzer with a layup, putting Loyola up by five points.

Galanopoulos extended the stretch to an 11-0 run with her second-chance layup to start the second quarter. The Ramblers extended their lead to nine points (24-15) at the 7:18 mark thanks to another Galanopoulos layup and Chivers' 3-pointer. The three helped Loyola go four-for-six (67-percent) from beyond the arc through the quarter.

With an 11-point edge coming out of the halftime break, Loyola's largest lead thus far, the Maroon and Gold ballooned their edge to 15 points (42-27) after Ali Berg drilled a triple and Fisher sunk a pair at the charity stripe. Berg hit another 3-pointer four minutes later, sparking a 6-0 Loyola run to make the score 48-31, 'Blers.

UMass scored the first bucket of the fourth quarter, but the Ramblers, powered by Tanin's eight points, took control of the game. The Middleton, Wis. native scored six-straight points on three Loyola possessions before Audrey Deptula and Destiny Jackson subbed in for herself and Fisher. In the end, Loyola won the game, 64-52.

Notes

• Having won both ends of its home-and-home series with Massachusetts, tonight marked Loyola's first-ever season sweep of an Atlantic 10 foe.
• The Ramblers notched 19 assists, their third-most in game this season.
• Loyola out-rebounded UMass, 35-25, for its fourth-best margin of the season. 14 of them were on the offensive glass, the team's second-most this year.
• Tanin's 18 points were a game-high. She also totaled seven boards and dished out five assists.
• Berg, just two points shy of tying her career-high, posted 16 points while gathering three rebounds.
• Chivers led the bench with nine points, her most since scoring 11 vs. Cleveland State on Nov. 12, 2023.
• Mallory Ramage had a season-high four rebounds in 12 minutes of play off the bench.

Up Next
Loyola Chicago is next in action this Sunday (Feb. 25) as it hosts Dayton for its final home game of the season. The program will be recognizing and honoring its class of six seniors prior to the 2 p.m. CT tip-off.