HENRICO, Va. – No. 13 Loyola Chicago was eliminated from the 2025 Atlantic 10 Championship by No. 12 George Washington, 65-44, in the first round at the Henrico Sports and Events Center. Naelle Bernard scored 13 to lead the Ramblers, but the team's poor shooting early proved costly.

"I just want to congratulate GW on a really terrific game," said Loyola Chicago Head Coach Allison Guth. "I thought they did a great job of game planning for us. I want to thank the A-10 for hosting, and our goal is to win our stays and get to be here a lot longer. It was a lot more fun being here later in it last year, but we just came out of a locker room where I couldn't be more proud of the women we coach and the legacy that our seniors are leaving us,"

How it Happened
Naelle Bernard set the tone on Loyola's first possession, draining a three-pointer off an assist from Kira Chivers. Thoranna Kika Hodge-Carr then drew contact and converted one-of-two free throws, giving LUC an early 4-0 lead over George Washington. However, the Revolutionaries quickly responded with a 10-0 run to take control.

After the media timeout, Hodge-Carr ended Loyola's scoring drought with a second-chance pull-up jumper in the paint, cutting the deficit to 10-6. Emma Theodorsson followed with a turnaround jumper from Mercille, bringing Loyola within three (11-8) to close the first quarter.

George Washington's defense tightened in the second quarter, holding Loyola without a field goal for over seven minutes and extending the lead to 20-8 midway through. Bernard finally broke the drought, sinking two free throws and knocking down a three-pointer before the media timeout. Audrey Deptula's three with 1:12 to play helped LUC gain momentum before halftime.

Chivers and Hodge-Carr scored three each during Loyola Chicago's largest run of the day­­­­­­—6-0 run in the third quarter —making it a six-point game at 32-26, GW. The Revolutionaries were effective in the final two minutes though and closed the frame on a 9-2 run, leading by 13 (41-28) as the fourth quarter arrived.

GW ballooned its lead to 23 (55-32) after staring the quarter on an 14-4 run. Brooklyn Vaughn's turnaround jumper and triples from Bernard and Mercille helped LUC trim the deficit to 19 with just over three minutes to play. However, it wasn't enough as GW won it, 65-44.

Notes

• The Ramblers suffered from 27-percent shooting, including a 17-percent clip from deep.
• LUC turned 14 GW turnovers into 13 points.
• Bernard led Loyola with 13 points.
• Hodge-Carr was behind with her eight.
• Theodorsson corralled a team-high seven rebounds.

Up Next
The Ramblers will wait and see if they earn a bid to a postseason tournament. Stay tuned to LoyolaRamblers.com for updates.