KINGSTON, R.I. – On Saturday afternoon at the Ryan Center, Emma Theodorsson and Naelle Bernard both eclipsed the 200-point mark for the season while playing at Rhode Island. Audrey Deptula also delivered a standout performance, recording a career-high in scoring. Despite their efforts, Loyola Chicago fell, 67-49, on the road in its penultimate game of January.

"I think we're really frustrated as a group, but we're in this together," said Loyola Chicago Head Coach Allison Guth. "The team is locked in, and we love this crew. Right now, we're not scoring at the level we expected this offense to perform. Honestly, you can't win in this league scoring 49 points, especially when combined with the defensive struggles we've had."

How it Happened
The Ramblers' defense started well, forcing four turnovers and drawing four fouls before the first media timeout. URI responded and built a 12-5 lead before Kendall Hendrix drilled a triple from Theodorsson to trim the deficit to six points (14-8). Brooklyn Vaughn connected on a layup during Loyola's final possession of the frame to make it a five-point affair (15-10).

The two teams were fairly equal in the second quarter with the hosts shooting 38-percent and Loyola at 36-percent. At the 3:20 mark, Jess Finney sunk a jump shot before Bernard nabbed a steal on URI's ensuing possession. The Ramblers capitalized off the turnover as Alexa Kinas sprinted down the court where Bernard found her for the deuce. Up by just three (24-21) at that point, the Rams closed the half on a 6-0 run and led LUC, 30-21, at halftime.

Loyola Chicago (11-10, 3-7 Atlantic 10) opened the third quarter with five points at the charity stripe to keep URI (10-11, 5-3 Atlantic 10) on its heels. Just before the media timeout at 5:14, Rhode Island sunk a three to make its lead double figures, but Deptula had the answer on the other end, immediately sinking a trey of her own to keep the 'Blers within striking distance, down 44-37.  

After both squads tallied 16 points in a closely contested third quarter, Rhode Island found its rhythm in the final frame, outscoring the Ramblers 21-12 to secure the victory. The Maroon and Gold fought until the end and went on a 5-2 run to close the game, but it wasn't enough as the final horn sounded.

Notes

• Coming off the bench, Deptula's career-high 15 points led the way for the Ramblers. Additionally, her four rebounds were a season-high and tied her career-high.
• Bernard and Theodorsson both surpassed 200 points on the season, scoring nine and five points today, respectively.
• Kira Chivers contributed five points.  
• Kinas corralled four rebounds.

Up Next
The Ramblers return to action this Wednesday (Jan. 29) as they host Dayton. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. on ESPN+.