CHICAGO - The Loyola University Chicago women's basketball team is set to host Oakland on Monday, Dec. 15, at Gentile Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. as part of Field Trip Day. Scott Sudikoff (play-by-play) and Kate Constable (analyst) will have the call on Marquee Sports Network and ESPN+.

QUICK HITS

• Field Trip Day is always a special occasion for Rambler women's basketball, as thousands of schoolchildren pack Gentile Arena and create an energetic, loud atmosphere.
• Loyola Chicago is 2–0 on Field Trip Day over the last two seasons.
• The Maroon and Gold are searching for a win after falling, 58-45, to Western Michigan at home this past weekend.
• Kira Chivers was a force to be reckoned with, scoring a career-high 18 points on 6-of-15 shooting.
• Chivers scored four three pointers in the loss, the most of any Rambler in a single game this season.
• Brooklyn Vaughn ranks eighth in the conference in rebounding, averaging 6.9 boards per game.
• Freshman phenom Alex-Anne Bessette leads the Ramblers in scoring with 10.6 points per game. She's reached double figures four times, tying for the team lead with Vaughn.
• Three Ramblers rank among the A-10's top 25 in blocks, with Roisin Grandberry, Bessette and Kinas all tied for 16th at 0.7 per game.
• Oakland Head Coach Keisha Newell is one of three former Ramblers who return to Gentile Arena this season. Western Michigan's Head Coach, Kate Achter, visited her former program on Dec. 7, while North Central's Head Coach, Maggie McCloskey-Bax, faced her former team in an exhibition to open the year.
• A win would mark Loyola's first at home this season.

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 OAKLAND GOLDEN GRIZZLIES

• Head Coach Keisha Newell is in her first season guiding Oakland.
• Newell owns a career ledger of 134-94 (.588) after stops at Lewis and Roosevelt.
• Oakland lost its first two league matchups: to Wright State, 61-57, and to Cleveland State, 72-55.
• Former Eastern Michigan transfer Cali Denson leads the team and ranks No. 9 in the Horizon League in scoring with 12.6 points per game.
• Denson also paces the Horizon in free throw percentage with a .893 clip.
• Oakland is tough on the boards as the group out-rebounds it's foes by 2.6 rebounds per game.
• Sereniti Roberts-Adams paces the team on the glass with 5.6 rebounds per game, ranking 10th in the conference.
• Layla Gold isn't far behind with 5.3 boards per game.

ALL-TIME AGAINST THE GOLDEN GRIZZLIES

• The Golden Grizzlies won the first and only meeting between the two programs during the 1980-81 season.
• On Jan. 17, 1981, Oakland beat Loyola, 64-56, in Rogers Park.

LAST TIME OUT
Loyola Chicago fell 58–45 to Western Michigan on Sunday at Gentile Arena, undone by a cold second quarter in which it made just one field goal and entered halftime down 31–15. Kira Chivers led Loyola with a career-high 18 points and four threes, while Brooklyn Vaughn added eight points, five rebounds and five assists as the Ramblers found some success in the paint during the second half. Alexus Mobley provided a spark off the bench with seven points, four boards and two steals in her debut, and Clara Djoko grabbed a career-best eight rebounds, but Western Michigan's balanced offense and steady late free-throw shooting kept Loyola from mounting a full comeback.

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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