CHICAGO - Loyola Chicago could not overcome an early deficit Saturday afternoon, falling 68-54 to UIC at Credit Union 1 Arena.

"I give UIC a lot of credit. We came in ready for Carrothers and Coleman and felt good about our plan, but our 2-3 zone didn't hold and they made us pay from three," said Head Coach Allison Guth. "Defensively, that wasn't what beat us — we simply have to put the ball in the basket. We were 0-for-10 from three at halftime, and our message was to attack the paint and get downhill, which you saw early in the third. That's the style we want to play. We make threes in practice, so this is surprising, but we need to get back to rhythm shots and convert at the line to win games."

How it Happened
After the Ramblers (1-5) opened the game scoreless through the first 2:41, Brooklyn Vaughn put Loyola on the board with a layup at the 7:19 mark. UIC (2-3) closed the first quarter with a late 3-pointer to take a 17-10 lead after 10 minutes.

The Flames extended their advantage to 18 with 2:23 left in the second quarter following a step-back jumper from Jessica Carrothers. Loyola responded with back-to-back layups from Alex-Anne Bessette and Alexa Kinas to end the half, but the Ramblers entered the locker room trailing 33-19.

Vaughn helped spark Loyola in the third quarter with five early points, reaching double figures for the third straight game. Her turnaround jumper at the 5:15 mark cut the deficit to 12 at 42-30. However, UIC countered with a 9-0 run to push its lead to 21.

Loyola outscored the Flames by four in the final quarter behind a dominant finish from Bessette, who scored 10 of her career-high 22 points in the period. Vaughn nearly recorded her third consecutive double-double, closing with 11 points and eight rebounds.

Game Notes

• Bessette recorded a career-high 22 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter.
• Vaughn finished with 11 points and eight rebounds, narrowly missing her third straight double-double.
• Vaughn reached double figures for the third consecutive game.
• Loyola outscored UIC 20-16 in the fourth quarter.
• The Ramblers held a 34–24 advantage in points in the paint.
• Loyola's bench contributed 12 points.
• LUC grabbed 18 offensive rebounds.
• Kendall Hendrix's eight boards and four assists marked career-highs.
• The Ramblers forced 17 UIC turnovers and scored 14 points off those miscues.
• Loyola limited UIC to 16 fourth-quarter points, the Flames' second-lowest scoring quarter of the game.

Up Next
The Ramblers are back in action at DePaul this Wednesday (Nov. 26) at Wintrust Arena. Tip-off is set for 11 a.m.