HENRICO, Va. – After battling 14 lead changes and six ties, the No. 8 seeded Loyola University Chicago women's basketball team earned its first-ever Atlantic 10 Tournament win after beating No. 9 Fordham, 53-52, Thursday inside the Henrico Sports and Events Center. Alyssa Fisher scored a team-high 14 points while Sam Galanopoulos followed with 10.

The Ramblers advance to the quarterfinals tomorrow (March 8) where they'll take on top-seeded Richmond. Tip-off is set for 10 a.m. CT with the game streaming live on ESPN+.

"It's a really exciting feeling to be up here in our first A-10 Tournament victory," said Loyola head coach Allison Guth after the win. "I do believe that the women to the right of me, Alyssa Fisher and captain Sam Galanopoulos, are the reason why showing toughness and grit [is so important] as a basketball purist. We're just really excited that March is about surviving and advancing. I think this is the exact game where survival was the first thing, and now we're talking about how do we control the controllables as a team. I think we're a team who deserves to be here and play in late March."

How it Happened
The Ramblers overcame a nine-point, first-quarter deficit by using a 12-4 run to make the score 17-16, Fordham. The run started with Emma Nolan's second-chance layup at the 4:39 mark. During the run, Loyola scored eight-straight points, helping the Maroon and Gold end the quarter six-of-15 (40-percent) from the field.

Loyola Chicago reclaimed the lead at 18-17 when Galanopoulos drilled a jumper in the paint to start the second quarter. Fordham followed with a made layup, but a 6-0 run, sparked by Sitori Tanin's jumper at 7:08, stretched the Ramblers' advantage to five points (24-19), its largest of the game. The Rams ended the half with two points at the charity stripe, plus a layup, to take a brief lead. But Kira Chivers scored a layup at the buzzer after Fisher dished her the rock, helping Loyola lead it, 30-29, going into the locker room.

The Rams outscored Loyola by three points (15-12) through the third quarter after shooting six-for-14 (43-percent) from the field and two-for-five (40-percent) from deep. But Loyola hung around and benefited from a 7-0 stretch, which included Fisher's massive 3-pointer at the 6:35 mark to tie the game, 36-36. Chivers sunk a pair at the free throw line to end the third quarter, 44-42, Rams.

Loyola battled through a five-minute scoring drought in the fourth quarter with Ali Berg hitting a three and Fisher making a layup in the paint at 4:47, bringing Loyola within one point of Fordham at 48-47.

With under two minutes left in regulation, Fordham held a three-point lead, but Fisher drilled a triple at 1:04 to level the contest at 50-50. The Rams scored on the ensuing possession to take a 52-50 lead, but Thoranna Kika Hodge-Carr, who started her first game since suffering a shoulder injury at Saint Louis on Feb. 14, made the game-winning layup while drawing a foul with 24 seconds left. She sunk her free throw, and the Ramblers' defense suffocated the Rams on the final possession, forcing two missed shots as the Maroon and Gold held on to win it, 53-52.

Notes

• The Ramblers were a perfect 11-of-11 at the charity stripe. The last time Loyola made all its free throws in a game was Feb. 12, 2022, in a 56-41 win over Bradley.
• Fisher's 14 points (5-13 FG, 2-4 3PT, 2-2 FT) led the way for Loyola.
• Galanopoulos was close behind with 10 points (4-13 FG, 2-2 FT). She tallied a team-high five assists as well.
• Berg crashed the glass for 10 rebounds, tying her season-high. She also scored eight points (3-11 FG, 2-8 3PT).
• Tanin posted six rebounds and scored four points.
• Hodge-Carr gathered five rebounds and scored seven points (3-5 FG, 1-1 FT).
• Emma Nolan led the bench with four points (1-2 FG, 2-2 FT).