CHICAGO - The Loyola University Chicago women's basketball aims to win its third straight game this Monday as the team hosts Austin Peay at Gentile Arena. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. on ESPN+. Scott Sudikoff (pxp) and Kate Constable (color) will call the action live.

QUICK HITS

• Loyola Chicago returns to Gentile Arena on Monday to take on Austin Peay following a 69-68 victory over crosstown rival Northwestern on Thursday.
• Loyola won back-to-back Field Trip Day games as Loyola beat Oakland for on Loyola's Field Trip Day on Dec. 15 before beating NU on their Field Trip day on Dec. 18.
• The Ramblers improved to 4-7 after the win and posted back-to-back wins for the first time this season.
• The Ramblers put together a complete team effort in the win over their Big Ten foes up North. For the second straight game, three Ramblers scored in double figures.
• Alex-Anne Bessette tied her career high with 22 points while Brooklyn Vaughn posted her third double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Rosalie Mercille added 11 points, her second straight game in double figures.
• Bessette, a freshman, has led the Ramblers in scoring in seven of the team's 11 games thus far.
• Clara Djoko's go-ahead basket with 21 seconds left in the game were her 100th-career points.
• Alexus Mobley made her first career start for the Ramblers since battling injury. She's two assists away from eclipsing 100 throughout her career.
• The Ramblers carried a 38-33 lead into halftime, marking one of their strongest first halves over the past two seasons. Loyola Chicago improved to 4-0 this season when leading at the break.
• Loyola Chicago's scoring heats up throughout the game. This season, Loyola has scored 119 points in the first quarter, 133 in the second, 151 in the third, and 178 in the fourth.

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 AUSTIN PEAY GOVERNORS

• Head Coach Brittany Young is in her fifth season at the helm of Austin Peay. She's 73-61 (.545) through her head coaching career.
• This season, the Governors are 6-2 with their most recent win coming over UIC on Saturday (Dec. 20).
• Austin Peay was led by Mya Williams and Lameria Thomas who scored 11 points each.
• JaNiah Newell and Jim'Miyah Branton were close behind with 10 points each.
• As a team, the Governors average 71.1 points per game (fifth in ASUN) and shoot the ball at a 45-percent clip (second in ASUN).
• Anovia Sheals ranks ninth in the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) n scoring with 13.1 points per game.
• On the glass, Sheals ranks 10th with 6.3 rebounds per game.

ALL-TIME AGAINST THE GOVERNORS
Monday marks the first-ever meeting between the two programs.

LAST TIME OUT
Loyola Chicago earned a 69-68 road victory over Northwestern on Thursday at Welsh-Ryan Arena as Clara Djoko scored the go-ahead basket with 21 seconds remaining and the Ramblers forced a missed 3-pointer on the Wildcats' final possession. Loyola Chicago (4-7) placed three players in double figures, led by Alex-Anne Bessette's career-high-tying 22 points, while Brooklyn Vaughn posted her third double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds and Rosalie Mercille added 11 points. The Ramblers shot efficiently early, carried a 38-33 halftime lead, and withstood a fourth-quarter Northwestern run behind timely baskets from Vaughn and Djoko. Defensively, Loyola Chicago forced 17 turnovers and converted them into 18 points while committing just 13 turnovers in the one-point win.

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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