CHICAGO - The Loyola University Chicago women's basketball hosts Western Michigan inside Gentile Arena this Sunday (Dec. 7) after a three-game road stretch. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. with the game streaming live on ESPN+. Sam Brief (pxp) Kate Constable (color) will call the action. 

QUICK HITS

• The Ramblers recently suffered their first Atlantic 10 loss, falling to a Richmond team that has claimed the conference's regular-season title in each of the past two years.
• Loyola outscored Richmond in the second half (14–13 in the third, 22–21 in the fourth), but a slow start and 20 turnovers hampered the team.
• The Ramblers shot 61.5-percent in the fourth quarter, their best period of the night.
• Brooklyn Vaughn posted six points and nine rebounds in the loss, marking her fifth straight game with at least eight boards.
• Vaughn ranks ninth in the conference in rebounding, averaging 7.1 boards per game.
• Freshman phenom Alex-Anne Bessette leads the Ramblers in scoring with 11.1 points per game. She's reached double figures four times, tying for the team lead with Vaughn.
• Bessette paced Loyola in Richmond, going 6-of-13 from the field and 3-of-6 from long range for 15 points.
• Alexa Kinas added eight points, four steals and five rebounds while Kira Chivers contributed four points, a season-high seven assists and two steals.
• Three Ramblers rank among the A-10's top 25 in blocks: Roisin Grandberry (14th, 0.8), Bessette (15th, 0.8) and Kinas (19th, 0.6).
• WMU Head Coach Kate Achter is one of three former Ramblers set to return to Gentile Arena this season. Oakland's Head Coach, Keisha Newell, will visit her alma mater on Dec. 15, 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 WESTERN MICHIGAN BRONCOS

• Head Coach Kate Achter is in her first season guiding Western Michigan.
• The Broncos are 1-5 so far after earning a win over Milwaukee on Nov. 13.
• Kailey Starks leads the team with 10.8 points per game ranking 25th in the Mid-American Conference.
• Ariana Wilkes paces the Broncos with 7.0 rebounds per contest which ranks eighth in the MAC.
• D'Myjah Bolds sits ninth in the league with a .513 field goal clip.
• Alli Carlson sits third in the conference with 5.3 assists per game.
• As a team, WMU scores on average 56.8 points per game and shoots the ball at a 56.8-percent average.
• Western Michigan shoots the three at an above average rate, making 6.5 per game.

ALL-TIME AGAINST THE BRONCOS

• The Ramblers trail in the all-time series with Western Michigan, 4-7.
• The Maroon and Gold has won the last two meetings.
• In the most recent matchup, Loyola downed WMU, 57-46, on the road.
• Eight Ramblers scored five or more points in the win.
• Loyola was 37-percent (21-of-57) from the field while limiting Western Michigan to a 27-percent (13-of-48) clip.
• Kira Chivers led Loyola with 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting.
• Rosalie Mercille was close behind with seven points off the bench.
• Loyola's 60–51 victory over Western Michigan on Nov. 7, 2022, marked Allison Guth's first win as the Ramblers' head coach and the 100th of her career.

LAST TIME OUT
Loyola Chicago dropped its Atlantic 10 opener at Richmond, 69–46, after a slow start that saw the Ramblers fall behind 35–10 at halftime. Despite outscoring the Spiders in both the third and fourth quarters, Loyola couldn't recover from the early deficit. Alex-Anne Bessette led with 15 points, while Brooklyn Vaughn grabbed nine rebounds and Kira Chivers dished a season-high seven assists. Turnovers and poor early shooting proved costly, as Richmond turned 20 Loyola giveaways into 25 points.

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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