CHICAGO - The Loyola University Chicago women's basketball team looks for its fourth straight win this Saturday (Jan. 31) as the team hosts St. Bonaventure at Gentile Arena. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. CT on ESPN+. Sam Brief (pxp) and Christian Thomas (commentary) will call the game.

QUICK HITS

• Loyola Chicago's only Atlantic 10 losses have come against the league's top four teams: Rhode Island (first), George Mason (second), Richmond (third) and Davidson (fourth).
• One of the hottest teams in the Atlantic 10, the Ramblers have won five of their last six games.
• A win would tie Guth's longest win streak at the helm of the Ramblers (four wins).
• The Ramblers upended Saint Louis by 15 points this past weekend, their largest margin of victory since a Dec. 29, 2024, win over St. Bonaventure. Loyola's plus-10 rebounding margin against SLU was its largest since Feb. 21, 2024, against Massachusetts.
• The win marked Loyola's fourth consecutive victory against its Atlantic 10 rivals that share the same time zone.
• Loyola had three players score in double figures, led by Alex-Anne Bessette's career-high 23 points and eight rebounds, earning her a second Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honor.
• Loyola Chicago is 5-3 when three players score in double figures and 3-0 when the team scores 70 or more points.
• LUC has had a better 3-point percentage than its foes in the last five games. Last week against Saint Louis, Loyola limited the Billikens to a measly 9.1 percentage behind the arc. 
• Brooklyn Vaughn ranks near the top of the A-10's rebounding leaders with 6.1 per game. 
• Bessette ranks 17th in the league in scoring at 12.4 points per game. She is second among freshmen, trailing only Duquesne's Alexis Bordas (15.2).
• Kira Chivers ranks 16th in the league in assists per game.
• The 'Blers are 7-0 when leading at the half.

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.
• Six Ramblers have turned professional under Head Coach Allison Guth.
• Since 2010, nine Ramblers have gone on to sign professional contracts: Hodge-Carr, Bernard, Sitori Tanin, Sam Galanopoulos, Emma Nolan, Sophia Nolan, Troy Hambric, Taylor Manuel, Bre Hampton-Bey, and Allison Day.

SCOUTING ST. BONAVENTURE

• Head Coach Jim Crowley is in his 19th season guiding the Bonnies. He's 280-291 in St. Bonaventure and holds a career ledger of 404-455 (.470).
• St. Bonaventure enters Saturday on a four-game skid.
• Most recently, the Bonnies fell at Dayton, 75-71.
• UAlbany transfer Laycee Drake paces the team in scoring (15.4), rebounding (5.2), and assists (2.0).

ALL-TIME AGAINST ST. BONAVENTURE

• The all-time series is deadlocked, 2-2.
• The Ramblers have won the last two matchups. Both meetings were in Rogers Park.
• Last season, Loyola Chicago won a fourth straight game with a 57-40 victory over St. Bonaventure at Gentile Arena.
• Loyola held am A-10 foe to 40 points or fewer for the first time since Feb. 8, 2024.
• Alexa Kinas tied her then-career-high with eight points. She nearly tied her then-career-high in rebounds with five.

LAST TIME OUT

• Loyola Chicago turned in a dominant defensive effort Saturday night, holding Saint Louis to 9.1 percent shooting from 3-point range in a 74-59 Atlantic 10 road victory at Chaifetz Arena. The Ramblers (9-11, 5-4 A-10) placed three players in double figures and never trailed after the opening quarter, as Alex-Anne Bessette posted career highs of 23 points and eight rebounds to lead the way. Alexa Kinas finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and four steals, while Audrey Deptula added 10 points off the bench. Loyola Chicago shot 50 percent from the field, outscored the Billikens 44-26 in the paint and held a 38-28 rebounding advantage, its largest of the season. The Ramblers forced 23 turnovers, collected 13 offensive rebounds and limited Saint Louis to 38.6 percent shooting overall while closing out their largest win margin of the year.

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
Want more courtside vibes and inside looks? Follow Loyola Chicago Women's Basketball on X and Instagram! Catch game highlights, player stories, and everything you love about Rambler hoops.