CHICAGO - The Loyola University Chicago women's basketball team faces crosstown foe UIC this Saturday (Nov. 22) at Credit Union 1 Arena. Terry Bonadonna (pxp) and Brian Boyer (color) will call the action live on ESPN+. Tip-ff is set for 2 p.m.

QUICK HITS

• The Ramblers enter Saturday after falling to UIC's MVC foe, Illinois State, this past Tuesday at Gentile Arena.
• The Ramblers were led by Brooklyn Vaughn's second straight double-double (10 points and 13 rebounds).
• The Maumee, Ohio, native posted her first-career double-double in Loyola's loss to UMES (22 points and 10 rebounds).
• Her 13 rebounds and 22 points marked career-highs for the sophomore. Her 13 boards against the Redbirds marked Loyola's best individual performance on the glass since Sitori Tanin grabbed 14 rebounds against Bradley on Nov. 16, 2023.
• Kinas paced Loyola with 11 points, her season high and second career double-digit scoring game, and matched her career best with seven rebounds.
• The 'Blers held ISU to its lowest-scoring quarter of the season (12 points in the third) and their lowest point total (59 points).
• The Ramblers won its first battle on the glass this season against UMES, 39-34.
• Loyola Chicago went 41-percent from the field in the loss to UMES, its best clip of the season.
• The Maroon and Gold head to Credit Union 1 Arena with the second-best free throw percentage in the Atlantic 10 at 77-percent.
• UIC is one of three crosstown rivals Loyola Chicago faces in 2025-26: UIC, DePaul and Northwestern.
• Loyola's furthest road trip of its non-conference slate was against No. 1 UConn in Storrs. LUC's other non-con matchups are against teams within 85 miles of Rogers Park.

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 UIC FLAMES

• Head Coach Ashleen Bracey is in her fourth season sparking the Flames. She's 53-54 (.495) in that time.
• IU Northwest transfer Jessica Carrothers leads the Flames with 20.3 points per game (second in the Missouri Valley). She recently earned MVC Newcomer of the Week after a 28-point, 70-percent shooting effort, followed by a 17-point game at Indiana.
• Julia Coleman paces the team on the glass with 7.0 boards per game, ranking No. 9 in the Valley.
• As a team, UIC limits its foes to 35.0 rebounds per game for the second-best ranking in the conference.
• The Flames struggle from beyond the arc though, ranking last in the MVC in team 3-pt percentage (.157) and 3-pointers made (2.0 per game).
• Likewise, opponents average a .420 clip from three against the Flames (highest in the Valley).

ALL-TIME AGAINST UIC

• The former Horizon League foes have met 68 times in an all-time series that dates to 1979-80.
• Loyola Chicago leads the series, 36-32.
• UIC has won the last two meetings.
• The Ramblers most recently fell to the Flames on Nov. 17, 2018, 75-60, at Gentile Arena.
• Current assistant coach Alyssa Fisher led the team with 14 points in her first game wearing the Maroon and Gold.

LAST TIME OUT

• Loyola Chicago showed stretches of its best defense of the season and put together multiple scoring runs but ultimately couldn't overcome cold shooting in a 59–44 loss to Illinois State at Gentile Arena. The Ramblers shot just 27.4 percent from the field and managed only six points in the fourth quarter despite pulling within one early in the second half and holding the Redbirds without a field goal for nearly nine minutes across halftime. Brooklyn Vaughn recorded her second consecutive double-double with 10 points and a career-high 13 rebounds, while Alexa Kinas added a team-high 11 points and matched her career-best seven boards. Loyola's defense fueled strong stretches — including a dominant second quarter and holding ISU to its lowest-scoring quarter of the season — but Illinois State closed the game on a decisive 15-2 run to seal the outcome.

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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