CHICAGO - The Loyola University Chicago women's basketball team plays host to Saint Louis this Sunday (Jan. 11) at Gentile Arena. Tip-off on USA Network is schedule for 1 p.m. with Joe Castellano (pxp) and Edona Thaqi (commentary) calling the action live.

QUICK HITS

• Loyola Chicago hosts rival Saint Louis live on USA Network this Sunday, one of two Loyola games to be nationally televised this season.
• The Ramblers enter Sunday fresh off a 71-68 win at Dayton this past Wednesday.
• The win marked Loyola's first at Dayton since Dec. 6, 2006.
• Loyola forced 30 turnovers (Dayton season-high) and weathered a 16-0 run in the fourth quarter. LUC scored 27 points off those miscues.
• Alexa Kinas scored a career-high 20 points and added five steals. It was her second time achieving a career-high in scoring this season.
• Four Ramblers scored in double figures for the first time this season. Alex-Anne Bessette (12 points), Brooklyn Vaughn (15) and Alexus Mobley (15) complimented Kinas' career night.
• Since joining the league, Loyola's 4-2 record over the Billikens is the Ramblers' best record against Atlantic 10 foes. Since 1982-83, LUC leads SLU, 16-8.
• Loyola Chicago's scoring heats up throughout the game. This season, Loyola has scored 168 points in the first quarter, 187 in the second, 222 in the third, and 230 in the fourth.
• The Ramblers have been perfect at the charity stripe twice this season (at UConn and vs. UMES). Only nine other games by A-10 members have seen a perfect outing at the line this season.
• Vaughn ranks fifth in the Atlantic 10 in rebounding (7.1 boards per game). She's had three games with double digit rebounds, all of which have been double-double performances.
• Following Sunday, the Maroon and Gold head to Washington, DC, to face George Mason and George Washington.

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 SAINT LOUIS BILLIKENS

• Head Coach Rebecca Tillett holds a 62-64 (.492) ledger guiding SLU for four seasons.
• This season, Saint Louis is 8-9 overall and 2-2 in A-10 games. They're 2-3 when playing on the road.
• Four Billikens average double figure scoring with Alexia Nelson (13.9) leading the way.
• On defense, Alyssa Koerkenmeier paces the team with 8.3 rebounds per game.
• Likewise, the Billikens lead the conference in blocked shots with 5.24 per game. SLU has five student-athletes 6-foot or taller.
• SLU rides a two-game skid entering Sunday, having most recently lost to VCU and Davidson at home.
• Saint Louis ranks third in the conference in scoring with 70.6 points per game.
• They also rank third in team rebounds (40.4 per game).

ALL-TIME AGAINST THE BILLIKENS

• Loyola leads its all-time series with Saint Louis, 16-8 and is 4-2 over SLU since joining the A-10.
• Loyola dominated the series in the 80s and 90s, winning the first 12 meetings.
• The 'Blers have won the two most recent matchups. Most recently, Loyola emerged victorious over the Billikens, 63-62, last season on Senior Day.
• The win marked the program's first regular season finale triumph since 2021-22.
• Rosalie Mercille scored nine points off the bench in the win.

LAST TIME OUT
Alexa Kinas scored a career-high 20 points as Loyola Chicago forced 30 turnovers and held off a late rally to defeat Dayton 71-68 on Wednesday night at UD Arena. The Ramblers led for more than 38 minutes, placed four players in double figures for the first time this season and built a lead as large as 22 points behind strong defensive pressure and scoring runs in the second and third quarters. Dayton cut the deficit to three in the final seconds, but Loyola forced a turnover and sealed the win at the free-throw line.

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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