CHICAGO - The Loyola University Chicago women's basketball team wraps up its DMV trip with a 1 p.m. CT clash with George Washington in the nation's capital this Saturday (Jan. 17). Action from the Charles E. Smith Center will stream live on ESPN+.

QUICK HITS

• The Ramblers enter Saturday on the heels of a narrow 59-54 loss to George Mason, one of the best teams in the Atlantic 10.
• Loyola's offense has been trending upwards recently. The team posted back-to-back 71-point performances in wins against Dayton and Saint Louis.
• Alexa Kinas has been a catalyst in the offensive production. The sophomore has posted five-straight games with 12 or more points.
• Likewise, Kinas smashed her career-high with 20 points in the team's win at Dayton.
• In the loss to GMU, Kinas led the team with 17 points and seven rebounds, while Alex-Anne Bessette added 10 points and two blocks.
• Alexus Mobley contributed seven points, including a key third-quarter three-pointer.
• Loyola was even on the glass (30-30) with George Mason and recorded five team blocks (second-most of the season).
• LUC lost the rebounding battle in each of the prior three games.
• A late 12-0 run in the fourth quarter cut George Mason's 15-point lead to three.
• George Mason's free-throw shooting, making 14 of 15 attempts, proved decisive in the win.
• Loyola shot a season-best 40-percent from 3-point range in the loss.
• Brooklyn Vaughn ranks in the top-10 of the A-10's rebounding leaders with 6.6 per game. 
• Alex-Anne Bessette (11.6) sits No. 21 and Kinas (10.6) is 25th in the league's top scorers' standings.
• Kira Chivers ranks 17th in assists per game with 2.6.

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 GEORGE WASHINGTON

• Head Coach Ganiyat Adeduntan is in her first season guiding George Washington.
• The Revolutionaries are 10-9 overall and 2-4 in conference play.
• Gabby Reynolds paces GW with 13.3 points per game.
• Sara Lewis isn't far behind with 10.1 points per game. She leads the squad on the glass with 5.2 rebounds per game.
• Former Rambler Emma Theodorsson ranks third with 8.7 points per game.
• GW snapped a four-game skid after beating Duquesne, 59-54, on the road.
• ALL-TIME AGAINST GEORGE WASHINGTON
• Loyola trails in its all-time series with George Washington, 1-5.
• Loyola recorded its first-ever win over GW this past last January, beating the Revolutionaries, 67-63, on the road. GW, however, won at Loyola in February to even the home-and-home series.
• Kira Chivers scored 13 points and dished out three assists.

LAST TIME OUT
Loyola Chicago fell 59-54 to George Mason on Wednesday night at EagleBank Arena despite strong shooting and defensive efforts. The Ramblers made 40% of their three-pointers, held George Mason to 36.4% shooting, forced 15 turnovers, and converted them into 15 points. Alexa Kinas led Loyola with 17 points and seven rebounds, while Alex-Anne Bessette added 10 points and two blocks. Loyola mounted a late fourth-quarter rally, outscoring the Patriots 17-13 in the final period and cutting a 15-point deficit to three, but George Mason's near-perfect free-throw shooting down the stretch secured the win. Loyola also held a slight rebounding edge, recorded five blocks, and scored points off fast breaks and second-chance opportunities.

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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