HENRICO, Va. - The Loyola University Chicago women's basketball team faces top-seeded Rhode Island in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Championship. Tip-off inside the Henrico Sports & Events Center is set for 10 a.m. CT on USA Network. Joe Castellano (Play-by-Play) and Edona Thaqi (Analyst) will call the action live.

QUICK HITS

• Loyola Chicago enters the quarterfinal round after a thrilling 61-59 win over St. Bonaventure in the second round.
• The Ramblers logged their first tournament victory since defeating No. 9 Fordham in 2023-24.
• 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.
• The Ramblers have three averaging double-figure scoring heading into the Atlantic 10 Championship quarterfinals: Bessette (11.5), Alexus Mobley (10.9), and Kinas (10.4) averages the most points per contest for LUC.
• 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 (26) and scoring.
• Loyola has surpassed last season's Atlantic 10 win total with nine league victories.
• Kinas ranks second in the A-10 in steals per game with 2.4.
• LUC is 3-0 when the team 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 RHODE ISLAND

• Head Coach Tammi Reiss is in her seventh season guiding Rhody. She's 135-72 (.652) in that time.
• The co-A-10 regular season champs ended the year 25-4 overall and 16-2 in league play.
• URI has the second-best offense in the conference with 73.6 points per game.
• Palmire Mbu is third in the A-10 in blocked shots per game (1.7).
• Brooklyn Gray is 15th in scoring with 12.5 points per game.
• Rhode Island averages 38.9 rebounds per game - the second-best mark in the league.

ALL-TIME AGAINST RHODE ISLAND

• The Rams lead Loyola Chicago, 2-1, in the all-time series.
• Loyola Chicago fell at home, 70-58, to Rhode Island earlier this season on Jan. 3, 2026.
• Kinas recorded a double-double and Vaughn and Mobley each scored in double figures
• Loyola downed Rhody, 61-56, on Jan. 10, 2024.
• Emma Nolan registered a career-high 18 points to pace LUC.
• The win snapped the co-defending 2022-23 Atlantic 10 regular season champions' five-game win streak.

LAST TIME OUT

• Freshman Alex-Anne Bessette scored a game-high 20 points as No. 8 seed Loyola Chicago rallied late to defeat No. 9 seed Saint Bonaventure, 61-59, in the second round of the Atlantic 10 Championship on Thursday at the Henrico Sports & Events Center. Bessette, Alexa Kinas and Brooklyn Vaughn combined for 46 points to lead the Ramblers (14-16), who advanced to the quarterfinals for the second time in program history. Kinas added 16 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals, while Vaughn chipped in 10 points. Loyola made a season-best nine 3-pointers and outrebounded the Bonnies, 33-27, while holding Saint Bonaventure to 39.3% shooting. The Ramblers trailed 59-54 late before closing the game on a 7-0 run, capped by Bessette's go-ahead layup with 42 seconds remaining.

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.

 SOCIAL BUZZ

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