CHICAGO  - The Loyola University Chicago women's basketball team faces defending national champion, No. 1 UConn, this Wednesday (Nov. 12) on the road. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on TruTV. J.B. Long (pxp), Christy Winters-Scott (color), and Autumn Johnson (sideline) will cover the action.

QUICK HITS

• The Ramblers face a top-5 team for the second time in the last three seasons. Loyola Chicago played No. 4 Iowa and Caitlin Clark on Dec. 21, 2023.
• The Ramblers' last win over a ranked foe occurred Dec. 23, 2003, when LUC beat No. 22 DePaul at home, 101-63.
• Loyola Head Coach Allison Guth returns to Connecticut for the first time since her tenure as Yale's head coach.
• Former UConn volleyball coach Holly Strauss-O'Brien, who led the Huskies to a .617 winning percentage and earned 2013 Big East Coach of the Year honors, now serves as Loyola's Deputy AD/SWA.
• The Ramblers most recently fell, 55-46, to defending Horizon League Champion Green Bay.
• Loyola held Green Bay to 20% (2-for-10) from three and outscored the Phoenix 17-10 in the fourth, but it wasn't enough.
• Loyola grabbed 23 defensive rebounds, limiting Green Bay to two offensive boards and no second-chance points.
• Audrey Deptula led Loyola with 10 points, while Clara Djoko posted career highs of seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.
• Loyola's bench scored 24 of the team's 46 points for the second straight game.
• The Ramblers forced 19 turnovers while committing 18 and have yet to lose the turnover battle in 2025-26.
• Freshman Alex-Ann Bessett leads Loyola with 10.0 points per game, while Clara Djoko ranks first in the A-10 in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.0) and 18th in rebounding (6.0).

2025-26 RAMBLER BITES

• The Ramblers aim to improve on last season's 13-17 ledger as Head Coach Allison Guth enters her fourth season at the helm.
• Guth is 34-57 in three seasons at LUC and holds a career record of 133-131 after beginning her career at Yale.
• Loyola Chicago returns eight letterwinners from the 204-25 roster. Additionally, Guth added five newcomers during the offseason.
• Over the summer, former Ramblers Thoranna Kika Hodge-Carr (Valur Körfubolti) and Naelle Bernard (AS Aulnoye Basket) signed professional contracts overseas.
• Five Ramblers have turned professional under Head Coach Allison Guth.
• Since 2010, nine Ramblers have gone on to sign professional contracts: Hodge-Carr, Bernard, Sam Galanopoulos, Emma Nolan, Sophia Nolan, Troy Hambric, Taylor Manuel, Bre Hampton-Bey, and Allison Day.

SCOUTING THE UCONN HUSKIES

• Head Coach Geno Auriemma is in his 41st season at the helm of UConn.
• The Huskies collected their 12th NCAA Division I National Championship, an NCAA record, last season after defeating South Carolina in the title bout.
• 2025 NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player Azzi Fudd leads the team with 21.5 points per game.
• UConn opened the season defeating No. 20 Louisville in the Armed Forces Classic, 79-66.
• Fudd scored 20 points for the Huskies in the win, extending the team's unbeaten streak in home openers that dates back to 1995.
• Most recently, UConn downed Florida State at home. Fudd poured in 20 of her 23 points in the first half, while Sarah Strong added 21 as top-ranked UConn rolled past the Noles, 99–67, securing its 35th consecutive home-opening victory.
• Strong leads the team in rebounding with 9.5 boards per game. 

ALL-TIME AGAINST UCONN

• Wednesday marks the first meeting between the two programs.

LAST TIME OUT

• Loyola Chicago held defending Horizon League champion Green Bay to just 20 percent shooting from beyond the arc but fell 55-46 in its home opener Wednesday night at Gentile Arena. The Ramblers trailed by as many as 18 after a tough third quarter but outscored the Phoenix 17-10 in the fourth to close the gap late. Audrey Deptula led Loyola (1-1) with 10 points off the bench, while Clara Djoko posted career highs with seven rebounds, three assists and three steals. Alex-Anne Bessette added eight points and two blocks, and Alexa Kinas scored seven. Loyola's defense limited Green Bay to two offensive rebounds and no second-chance points, while the bench accounted for 24 of the team's 46 points. Despite forcing 19 turnovers and controlling the boards defensively, the Ramblers shot just 32.1 percent from the field compared to Green Bay's 43.5 percent.

ATLANTIC 10 PRESEASON POLL

• Richmond is the preseason favorite to win the 2025-26 Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball title, topping the coaches' poll for a second straight year. The Spiders return All-A-10 stars Maggie Doogan and Rachel Ullstrom after a 28-7 season and their first NCAA Tournament win.
• George Mason ranks second, followed by Davidson, Rhode Island, and Dayton. Saint Joseph's, VCU, Duquesne, Saint Louis, and George Washington complete the top 10. Fordham, La Salle, Loyola Chicago, and St. Bonaventure round out the poll.
• Doogan, Ullstrom, George Mason's Zahirah Walton and Kennedy Harris, and VCU's Mary-Anna Asare headline the Preseason All-Conference First Team.

RETURNING RAMBLERS

• Loyola Chicago returns eight from the 2024-25 roster: Yasmyn Palmer, Roisin Grandberry, Alexa Kinas, Audrey Deptula, Rosalie Mercille, Kendall Hendrix, Kira Chivers, and Brooklyn Vaughn.
• Key returners include senior point guard Kira Chivers who started 25 of 28 games in 2024–25, leading Loyola in steals per game (1.1) and ranking 16th in the A-10 in assists (2.9), with the league's 10th-best assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3). She scored in double figures six times, highlighted by a career-high 17 points and five rebounds vs. Northwestern, and delivered a season-best seven assists at Eastern Illinois.
• Another key returner, junior guard Rosalie Mercille, appeared in 20 games in 2024–25, returning from injury to contribute nine points in the Senior Day win vs. Saint Louis. She posted double-digit scoring twice, including 11 points at Eastern Illinois, and matched a season-high four rebounds three times. Mercille also recorded three assists in three straight games early in the season.
• Point guard Alexa Kinas played in 28 games with five starts as a freshman in 2024–25, logging the most minutes among Loyola newcomers. She shot .443 from the field, finishing second on the team in FG percentage, and tied for second in steals (29). Kinas scored seven points in her debut, posted a season-high 15 points vs. Richmond, and grabbed a season-best six rebounds twice.

FRESH FACES

• Alex-Anne Bessette is a three-time All-Canadian and AmeriCup silver medalist who helped Team Canada to silver at the 2024 FIBA U18 Women's Americas Championship. The 6-foot-2 Quebec City native led her prep team to the 2025 OSBA title and earned Second Team All-Star honors. She played on the elite Kia Nurse EYBL circuit.
• Alexus Mobley arrives as a graduate transfer from Akron after two seasons with the Zips and two at Danville Community College. The Indianapolis native started 38 games at Akron, averaging 9.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. She recorded career highs of 30 points and 17 rebounds during the 2024-25 season.
• Daniella Matus is a 1,000-point scorer who averaged 12.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in her final season at Morris Catholic. She helped St. John Vianney win a fourth straight Shore Conference Tournament title and reach the NJSIAA semifinals. Matus earned Morris County Tournament MVP honors, All-Tournament recognition at the John Wall National Christmas Tournament, and multiple all-conference awards, including NJAC First Team. She starred for Team Sharp on the AAU circuit and was a 2025 McDonald's All American Game nominee.
• Nevaeh Dickman is a 6-foot power forward from Fishers, Ind., rated a three-star prospect by 247Sports and ranked No. 6 in Indiana. She earned multiple all-state honors, including IBCA Senior Large School All-State, and HCC First Team All-Conference recognition.
• Clara Djoko, a 6-foot forward from Entzheim, France, transfers from UC Irvine, where she appeared in 55 games over two seasons. She contributed across the stat sheet, highlighted by games with four rebounds at Cal State Bakersfield and three steals in consecutive contests as a freshman.
• Assistant Coach Jasmyne Fogle joins Loyola after roles at Quinnipiac, Putnam Science Academy, and Iona. At Quinnipiac, she led operations, travel, logistics, video, marketing, and student support for three seasons. She previously assisted with coaching, recruiting, and academics at Putnam Science Academy and served as a graduate assistant at Iona. Fogle played collegiately at Franklin Pierce and Post University, earning All-CACC honors in 2018 before completing graduate degrees from Post and Iona.
• Assistant Coach Alyssa Fisher returns to Loyola after beginning her coaching career at Dartmouth, where she helped mentor an All-Ivy performer. As a Rambler in 2023–24, she led the team in threes, free throws, and steals while averaging 13.5 points per game, earning a selection to the WBCA So You Want To Be A Coach program. Fisher previously earned dual bachelor's degrees at St. Francis Brooklyn and an MBA at Loyola.
• Assistant Coach Adam Call arrives from George Washington following a four-year stint that included multiple A-10 Championship wins and development of all-conference and all-defensive selections. His 17-year coaching career includes stops at Eastern Michigan, Stony Brook, Washington, Northwestern, TCU, and Oklahoma, where he contributed to several postseason runs. He holds degrees from Oklahoma and TCU.

BUY TICKETS NOW!
Catch every women's basketball game at Gentile Arena with a season ticket package! Season ticket options include reserved courtside seating for $180/seat and general admission seating for $81/seat. Single-game tickets are $10 each.

Courtside season tickets are the only reserved seats available. Courtside seats are located across from the team benches in front of Sections 108 and 110. The online system will automatically place you in the best courtside seats available. Please contact the Loyola ticket office at (773) 508-9653 to discuss specific seat locations. Click here to purchase. 

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