CHICAGO – The Loyola University Chicago women's basketball team made a valiant comeback, outscoring Dayton in the final two quarters Wednesday night at Gentile Arena. The Flyers, however, had enough left in the tank to outlast the Ramblers, 67-64.  

"Really disappointed we can't get to the end of this one with a different outcome, with a win, but absolutely proud of our team's fight and effort against a very good Dayton team," said Loyola Chicago Head Coach Allison Guth. "It comes down to two things. We've got to value the possession. We can't turn it over 19 times to beat a good team like that. We've got to have better prowess in the post on the interior. In terms of defense, we give up 38 points to Dayton in the paint, and so it's how we match up physically in the post, with easy buckets,"

How it Happened
Loyola Chicago (11-11, 3-8 Atlantic 10) gathered five points at the charity stripe, and Brooklyn Vaughn converted on a turnaround jumper to help the team get its offensive gears going in the first quarter. With 3:09 left in the opening frame, Alexa Kinas sparked a 7-5 run, which included an Audrey Deptula 3-pointer, to trim Dayton's lead to 18-14.

The Ramblers endured a 6-0 UD (13-8, 7-3 Atlantic 10) run midway through the second quarter before shifting the momentum in their favor with consecutive baskets from Emma Theodorsson and Kendall Hendrix. Dayton briefly stalled the run with a free throw, but Vaughn's second-chance layup and Theodorsson's triple to end the half cut Dayton's lead to seven points (35-28).

Loyola Chicago dominated the Flyers in the third quarter and used a 6-2 run to make the score 37-34, Dayton, at the media timeout. Later, Theodorsson sank a pair at the free-throw line and followed with a jumper, helping LUC trail by just one point (39-38) with 3:03 left in the quarter. The Ramblers shot 39-percent from the field in the quarter, edging out Dayton's 33-percent. Loyola also outscored the Flyers 14-12 in the frame.

In the fourth quarter, the Maroon and Gold picked up where they left off, once again outscoring the visitors while converting on 7-of-12 attempts (58-percent) from the floor. Loyola opened the quarter on an 11-5 run to take its first lead of the game at 53-52 with 6:52 left in regulation. Dayton responded with a 6-0 run, but Finney hit back-to-back 3-pointers to make it a one-point game, 60-59. In the final 1:10, however, UD outscored LUC 5-3 to win it, 67-64.

Notes

• Loyola's 64 points were the most the team has scored in the last seven outings.
• LUC was 44-percent (24-of-55) from the field and 7-of-18 (39-percent) from deep.
• The team tied its best free throw percentage of the season going 9-of-10 (90-percent) at the charity stripe.
• 10 Ramblers had at least two points with Finney (11) and Theodorsson (9) leading the way off the bench.
• Finney's 11 points marked her best output since Jan. 8 when she scored 17 vs. VCU.
• Kendall Hendrix notched a career-high three assists and two blocks.

Up Next
Loyola Chicago is next in action Wednesday, Feb. 5, at Davidson. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. CT on ESPN+.