CHICAGO - The Loyola University Chicago women's basketball team returns the hardwood tomorrow (Nov. 18) for a 6 p.m. meeting with in-state foe Illinois State. Scott Sudikoff (pxp) and Kate Constable (color) will call the action live on ESPN+ inside Gentile Arena.

QUICK HITS

• The Ramblers face their quickest turnaround of the season, returning to action Tuesday against Illinois State just two days after taking on UMES.
• The first 200 students in attendance will receive a FREE Rambler Owala-style water bottle. 
• Loyola posted season highs in points (67), FG% (40.7), rebounds (39), assists (18), and free throws (13-for-13) against UMES.
• The Maroon and Gold outscored the Hawks in the final two quarters but a nine-point second quarter proved costly.
• Brooklyn Vaughn was outstanding, notching her first career double-double (22 points, 10 rebounds), both career highs.
• Loyola Chicago was perfect at the charity stripe for the second straight game. Rosalie Mercille was 7-of-7 at the line to lead the team.
• Audrey Deptula is also calm at the free throw line. She ranks 17th in the Atlantic 10 in free throw percentage, making half of her attempts. 
• Mercille added a season-high 14 points and a team-high six boards against UMES while Deptula totaled a season-high 11 points and converted three made threes.
• Alexa Kinas tallied a career-high six assists and Nevaeh Dickman logged a career highs with four points and two assists.
• UMES' Brianna Barnes led all scorers with 20 points.
• Prior to the home loss, Loyola Chicago went toe-to-toe with top-ranked UConn at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs.
• Loyola aims to end its three-game skid Tuesday against the Redbirds.
• Up next, Loyola will face cross-town foe UIC on Saturday at Credit Union 1 Arena.

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 compiled a 34–57 record over her first three seasons at LUC and enters 2025–26 with a 133–131 career mark after beginning her head-coaching tenure 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 ISU REDBIRDS

• Head Coach Kristen Gillespie is in her ninth season at the helm of Illinois State women's basketball. She's 158-96 (.622) in her time in Normal and holds a career record of 263-161 (.620).
• Illinois State finished third in the MVC Preseason Coaches' Poll, earning two first-place votes and 387 points, after reaching the WNIT Fab 4 last season before falling to Troy, 99–96.
• This season, ISU is 2-1 with their sole blemish coming against Illinois, 75-65, on the road.
• The Redbirds downed Dayton to begin the season, 87-76, and recently routed Chicago State, 101-52, at home.
• ISU leads the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring and field goal percentage with 84.3 points and a 50-percent clip.
• Four Redbirds are avenging double figure scoring, including Nevaeh Thomas' team-high 14.3 points per game.

ALL-TIME AGAINST ISU

• The former MVC foes have met 24 times prior to Tuesday with the Redbird in command of the all-time series, 17-7.
• Illinois State's won the last three meetings as Loyola's most recent win over their in-state foes occurred March 12, 2021.
• Sixth-seeded Loyola Chicago earned a thrilling 61-60 victory over third-seeded Illinois State in the quarterfinals of the Missouri Valley Conference Championship.
• Allison Day scored a career-best 23 points and Maya Chandler hit on a pressure-packed free throw with one second remaining to seal the win.

LAST TIME OUT
Loyola Chicago nearly erased a 16-point halftime deficit but came up just short in a 70–67 loss to Maryland Eastern Shore on Sunday at Gentile Arena. After early turnovers allowed UMES to build a big lead, the Ramblers surged in the second half, outscoring the Hawks 26–15 in the third quarter and eventually tying the game at 60 before briefly taking the lead on a Kira Chivers three. Brooklyn Vaughn powered the comeback with her first career double-double (22 points, 10 rebounds), while Rosalie Mercille added 14 points and six boards. Loyola posted season highs in points, shooting, rebounds and assists, but UMES converted late free throws to hold on in the final minutes.

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. 

SOCIAL BUZZ
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