WASHINGTON — The Loyola Chicago women's basketball team shot 56.2 percent from 3-point range—its best clip of the season—but fell to George Washington, 71-62, on the road Friday night in the Super 16 of the WNIT.
"Obviously, this is disappointing for a lot of reasons," said Head Coach Allison Guth. "In March, it's all about surviving and advancing, and tonight it came down to us. We got out-toughed on a couple of plays, and you can't do that on the road this time of year and expect to come out on the other side, but I'm proud of the fight our team showed — it was tied 25-25 at halftime, and we made a strong push in the fourth quarter to come back, which speaks to the head, heart and toughness that have defined this group all season."
The Ramblers (16-18) had three players score in double figures, led by Alexus Mobley with 19 points and two steals. Rosalie Mercille added 11 points off the bench, while Alexa Kinas contributed 11 points, four assists and four steals.
Kendall Hendrix grabbed three offensive rebounds to help Loyola Chicago total 10 on the offensive glass, though the Ramblers were unable to convert those opportunities into second-chance points.
Loyola Chicago forced 15 turnovers while committing 13 and turned those takeaways into 23 points. Kinas' four steals led the defensive effort.
How it Happened
Loyola Chicago fell behind early and trailed 17-12 at the end of the first quarter.
The Ramblers responded in the second, using a 7-0 run, highlighted by a basket from Kinas, to take a 23-21 lead before George Washington answered to send the game into halftime tied at 25-25. Loyola forced four turnovers in the quarter and converted them into four points.
George Washington took control in the third quarter, building a 48-42 lead heading into the fourth despite Loyola scoring eight points off four turnovers in the period.
The Revolutionaries extended their advantage to 62-47 in the fourth before Loyola answered with a 7-0 run, capped by a Mercille 3-pointer, to cut the deficit to 62-54 with 4:48 remaining. George Washington responded down the stretch, holding off the Ramblers to secure the 71-62 win. Loyola knocked down five 3-pointers in the final quarter, accounting for 15 of its 20 points.
Game Notes
- Loyola Chicago shot 9 of 16 from 3-point range, surpassing 50 percent from beyond the arc for the first time this season.
- The Ramblers recorded assists on 64 percent of their made field goals.
- Loyola forced 15 turnovers and scored 23 points off takeaways.
- The Ramblers collected 10 offensive rebounds.
- Mobley led Loyola with 19 points.
- Vaughn paced the team with six rebounds.
- GW scored its most points in a game since before Christmas.
