Tipping Off
The 2023-24 Atlantic 10 Tournament is here! The No. 8 seeded Loyola University Chicago women's basketball team is ready to commence its tournament run Thursday (March 7) against No. 9 Fordham. Tip-off inside the Henrico Sports and Events Center is set for 10 a.m. CT with the game streaming live on ESPN+. Joel Godett (play by play) and Fallon Stokes (commentary) calling the action.

Quick Hits

• The Ramblers look to improve on their first A-10 Tournament showing last season. No. 15 seeded Loyola fell, 58-57, to No. 10 Duquesne in the first round in heartbreaking fashion.
• The last time the Ramblers made it past the first round of a conference tournament was the 2020-21 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. Sixth-seeded Loyola earned a thrilling 61-60 victory over third-seeded Illinois State in the quarterfinals.
• The goal for Loyola is to earn its first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament by being crowned champions of the A-10 Tournament.
• The Ramblers proved their doubters wrong this season. The squad was picked dead-last in the A-10's Preseason Coaches' Poll, but showed they are here to stay by taking the No. 8 seed - a seven-spot jump.
• Loyola Chicago most recently suffered a 50-43 loss at George Washington to cap the regular season.
• George Washington's defense limited the Ramblers to a 26-percent clip from the field, its second-lowest shooting average of the season.
• Alyssa Fisher scored a team-high 13 points while Sitori Tanin led on the glass with seven rebounds.
• Prior to the loss at GW, Loyola had won two-straight games - vs. UMass and Dayton.
• Loyola Chicago finds strength in the second half of contests. This season, it has outscored its foes, 997-960, in the final two quarters and 10-5 in overtime.
• The Ramblers are led offensively by Fisher and Sam Galanopoulos' 13.3 points per game. The duo rank 10th and 11th, respectively, in the A-10's scoring rankings.
• Galanopoulos, who recently was tabbed to the All-A-10 Third Team, ranks No. 4 in the A-10's assists per game (4.1) and assist/turnover ratio (2.0). Additionally, her 45-percent clip from beyond the arc ranks second-best.
• Scoring on Tanin in the post is no easy task. She's averaging 1.5 blocks per game, the fourth-most in the league. Meanwhile, she brings down 6.3 rebounds per game, ranking 12th.

2023-24 Rambler Bites

• Seven letterwinners return to the roster, including three starters. The Ramblers welcome six newcomers, including two freshman and four transfers.
• In addition to new players, Loyola added assistant coach Simon Harris and assistant coach Jenna Rubino-McCormick to the program in the off-season.
• Head coach Allison Guth is in her second season at the helm of Loyola. 2023-24 is her eighth year as a head coach after spending the first six seasons at Yale.

Scouting The Fordham Rams

• Head coach Bridgette Mitchell who's in her first year with the Rams, has guided her team to a 13-16 overall record and an 8-10 mark in A-10 play.
• Fordham surged to six-straight wins towards the end of the regular season, including a 62-57 win over Saint Joseph's on Feb. 28.
• Most recently though, Fordham lost its regular season finale, 93-83, to La Salle at home on March 2.
• In last season's conference tournament, the Rams lost in the first round to Richmond, 70-65, in the quarterfinal round.
• Efficient on the glass, the Rams average 13.2 offensive and 32.2 rebounds per game - both marks rank fourth in the league. 
• The team's leader in the post, Aminata Ly, averages 5.8 rebounds per game.
• Taylor Donaldson, who earned a spot on the league's second team, paces the Rams' offense with 18.0 points per game.

All-Time Against Fordham

• Thursday will be the third-ever meeting between the two programs. It will be the first-ever time the two teams have met on a neutral court.
• Earlier this season on Jan. 24, Loyola Chicago downed Fordham on the road, 73-64.
• Ali Berg scored 18 points and snagged three steals for two new career-highs. Galanopoulos led Loyola with 20 points while Fisher, who dished out a career-high six assists, was the third Rambler in double figures with 15 points.

Last Time Out
The Loyola University Chicago women's basketball team lost its final regular season game, 50-43, to George Washington Saturday afternoon on the road. Alyssa Fisher scored a team-high 13 points while Sitori Tanin led on the glass with seven rebounds.

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