CHICAGO - The Loyola University Chicago women's basketball team faces off against George Mason this Wednesday (Feb. 18) at Gentile Arena. Tip-off on ESPN+ is set for 6 p.m. with Sam Brief play by play) and Kate Constable (color) calling the action. 

QUICK HITS

• The first 150 students in attendance will receive a FREE Loyola Ramblers hockey jersey!
• The Ramblers are set for a rematch with George Mason after nearly defeating the Patriots on the road in mid-January.
• Loyola Chicago enters the matchup reeling from its first set of back-to-back losses since the beginning of January.
• LUC most recently fell, 63-50, to Saint Joseph's at Gentile Arena this past Saturday.
• Alexa Kinas, who has now scored in double figures in back-to-back games, led the 'Blers against the Hawks with 15 points.
• Loyola forced 21 turnovers and turned them into 18 points but was outscored 40-26 in the paint.
• Celebrating their Senior Day, Kira Chivers added seven points and Alexus Mobley finished with eight points, two rebounds and two steals.
• Kendall Hendrix recorded four points and two blocks off the bench.
• Despite the setbacks, Loyola has found recent success and is playing its best basketball as the Atlantic 10 Championships quickly approach.
• Loyola has already surpassed last season's Atlantic 10 win total with eight league victories.
• The program's high under coach Allison Guth is eight A-10 wins, achieved in 2023-24. Loyola would break that record with a win on Wednesday.
• Kinas ranks second in the A-10 in steals per game with 2.6.
• The Ramblers have won eight of their last 11 games.
• LUC is 3-0 when the team scores 70 or more points.
• The 'Blers are 8-0 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 GEORGE MASON

• Head Coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis is 93-56 (.624) in five seasons at GMU and holds a career ledger of 409-358 (.533).
• George Mason has a very short amount of time to prep for Loyola as it played Richmond on Monday night in a rescheduled contest.
• The Patriots emerged victorious, 46-37, in a low-scoring affair.
• GMU has faced tall competition in the month of February as its played Richmond twice and Rhode Island.
• Two Patriots average double figure scoring entering Wednesday in Zahirah Walton (17.3) and Kennedy Harris (13.5).
• Hawa Komara paces the team on the glass, averaging 8.4 rebounds per game.

ALL-TIME AGAINST GEORGE MASON

• Loyola trails in its all-time series with GMU, 0-4.
• A win would mark Loyola's first-ever over the Patriots.
• Loyola Chicago shot 40 percent from three, but a late rally fell short in a 59–54 loss on Jan. 14, 2026.
• Alexa Kinas led the Ramblers with 17 points and seven rebounds, Alex-Anne Bessette added 10 points and two blocks, and Alexus Mobley scored seven with a key third-quarter three.

LAST TIME OUT

• Loyola Chicago fell to Saint Joseph's, 63-50, on Senior Day as a slow start proved too much to overcome. Alexa Kinas led Loyola with 15 points while adding five rebounds, four assists and two steals as the Ramblers dropped to 12-13 overall and 8-6 in Atlantic 10 play. Loyola managed just five points in the opening quarter and trailed 36-17 at halftime before trimming the deficit in the third, holding Saint Joseph's scoreless for more than five minutes, but could not close the gap. Kira Chivers added seven points, Kendall Hendrix contributed four points and two blocks off the bench, and Alexus Mobley recorded eight points and two steals as Loyola forced 21 turnovers but was outscored 40-26 in the paint.

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 woman'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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