CHICAGO - The Loyola University Chicago women's basketball team is ready for its first-ever WNIT appearance as the team faces Norfolk State in the tournament's first round this Saturday (March 21). Tip-off from Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall is set for 1 p.m. CT on ESPN+.

QUICK HITS

• The Maroon and Gold enter the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) after falling to (RV) Rhode Island in the Atlantic 10 Championship quarterfinals. The top-seeded Rams went on to win the title and secure the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
• Loyola Chicago reached the quarterfinals after a thrilling 61-59 win over St. Bonaventure in the second round.
• Alex-Anne Bessette led all scorers with 20 points while adding six rebounds, two blocks and four 3-pointers.
• Alexa Kinas finished with 16 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals.
• Bessette, Kinas and Vaughn combined to score 46 of Loyola's 61 points, accounting for 75 percent of the team's offense.
• Loyola Chicago made a season-high nine 3-pointers on 23 attempts in the win.
• The Ramblers enter the WNIT with three averaging double figures in scoring: Bessette (11.4), Alexus Mobley (11.2), and Kinas (10.1).
• Bessette was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference Third Team and All-Rookie Team after a stellar freshman campaign. The plaudit marks Loyola's first-ever representative on the A-10 All-Rookie Team.
• Bessette paces the Ramblers in total blocks (27) and scoring.
• Loyola surpassed last season's Atlantic 10 win total with nine league victories.
• Kinas ranks second in the A-10 in steals per game with 2.3.
• LUC is 3-0 when it scores 70 or more points.

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 NORFOLK STATE

• In his first season at the helm, Head Coach Jermaine Woods is 18-14 overall and 11-3 in league play.
• The Spartans compete in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).
• Norfolk State finished third in the league and won two games in the 2026 MEAC Basketball Tournament before falling to top-seeded Howard, 53-46, in the title game.
• Jasha Clinton earned MEAC Defensive Player of the Year honors. Da'Brya Clark and Anjanae Richardson also tallied all-conference accolades.
• Three Spartans average double figure scoring with Clark leading the way (13.7 ppg).
• Norfolk State averages 63.7 points per game and a 37 percent field goal clip.

ALL-TIME AGAINST NORFOLK STATE

• Saturday marks the first-ever meeting between the two programs.

LAST TIME OUT

• No. 8 Loyola Chicago fell to top-seeded Rhode Island, 71-64, in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Championship on Friday at the Henrico Sports & Events Center. Alexus Mobley led the Ramblers with 19 points and a season-high 11 rebounds for her second career double-double, while Brooklyn Vaughn added 16 points and Alex-Anne Bessette finished with 10 points and seven rebounds. Loyola shot 42.4 percent from the field and committed a season-low seven turnovers, but Rhode Island used a strong third quarter and went 20-for-24 at the free-throw line to secure the win despite a late Loyola rally that trimmed the deficit to five in the fourth quarter.

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.

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