Women’s Basketball Downs Roosevelt in Exhibition Game

The Loyola women’s basketball team beat the Roosevelt University Lakers 71-49 in a physical exhibition game during Alumni Weekend Oct 29. 

Graduate forward Emma Nolan led the scoring with 12 points, followed by fourth-year forward Sitori Tanin with 11 points and second-year guard Kira Chivers with 10.

Tanin won the tip-off for the Ramblers, who quickly scored on a three pointer from graduate guard and forward Ali Berg. Play stalled while Roosevelt’s fourth-year guard Brilan McCory was slow to get up from the floor but resumed with a deep two-point shot from Roosevelt’s third-year forward Jayla Turchin with heavy defense in her face.

Following Roosevelt’s bucket, Loyola scored the next four shots over three minutes. A three-pointer and a layup by graduate guard Alyssa Fisher and a layup from Tanin put the Ramblers up 10-2 before a media timeout. Following the timeout, Emma Nolan added on two more points to continue their run. 

The Ramblers’ stretch was finally stopped with three and a half minutes remaining in the quarter when Roosevelt’s first-year guard Ella Pritchard was fouled and converted both free throws. Roosevelt quickly added another three-pointer from third-year guard Jalyssa Carrasco, and a single free throw by Fisher made the game 13-7 with two minutes remaining.

The final two minutes of the quarter were slow offensively as multiple fouls and turnovers limited scoring opportunities. A hard-driven layup from Turchin and a free throw from Tanin rounded out the scoring of the first quarter as Loyola led 14-9.

Scoring started in the second quarter a minute and a half in when McCory made a second-chance layup. Fisher quickly responded with a layup of her own which kicked-off a seven-point Loyola run. Chivers added on with three free throws and a Tanin layup made it 21-9.

Roosevelt’s fourth-year guard and forward Kristen Keys added another three-pointer to the board. Loyola maintained a lengthy possession for the next minute but was unable to make any shots until graduate forward Sophia Nolan was fouled and converted on both free throws. A three-point jumper from Roosevelt’s first-year guard Alexia Lohman made the score 23-16.

In the next minute and a half, Roosevelt added four points on a fastbreak jump shot by McCory and two free throws from Lohman. In the same stretch, Loyola kept pace with a successful free throw by graduate guard Sam Galanopoulos and an Emma Nolan layup. The next few minutes yielded empty possessions.

With a minute left in the second quarter, both teams’ offensive tempo increased, evidenced by a quick layup by Emma Nolan off a fastbreak turnover. Roosevelt responded with a three-pointer from Keys, but Loyola scored last with a buzzer-beating layup by Berg, giving the Ramblers a 30-23 lead at the end of the first half.

Loyola opened up the second half with two layups by Tanin and Berg. Turchin made a lone free throw, but Loyola added four more points with layups from Galanopoulos and Tanin. Roosevelt scored the next four points to make the game 38-28 with two separate free throw shots from Keys and Turchin and a driving layup from Lohman.

Loyola’s increasingly active defense benefited them greatly, as they scored seven straight points off turnovers and defensive rebounds. Roosevelt only managed another point on a free throw from Pritchard, while Emma Nolan and Galanopoulos made two more layups to bring the lead to 20.

With a minute and 40 seconds remaining in the third quarter and Loyola up 49-29, Roosevelt’s third-year guard Grace Beyer added five straight points off two free throws and a three-point jumper to bring the Lakers back. The final minute remained relatively quiet until Galanopoulos made a layup in the final seconds to end the third quarter 51-34.

The defensive intensity peaked in the opening of the fourth quarter as multiple defensive stops from both Loyola and Roosevelt limited opportunities. Emma Nolan broke the ice two minutes in with a layup and made another off a fast-break turnover a minute later. 

In the span of three minutes, both teams significantly increased their offensive tempo with success from outside the arc. Roosevelt graduate guard Savana Malou scored two three-pointers, with Keys adding one of her own. On Loyola’s side, Chivers made a jumper and single free throw and a three-pointer from first-year guard Audrey Deptula made the score 63-46.

In the final three minutes of the game, fourth-year forward Aaliyah Moore made two free throws quickly followed by a layup from Chivers. Roosevelt got their final three points from first-year guard Marie Outlay and a free throw by Pritchard. Loyola rounded out the scoring with a perfect trip to the line from Chivers and a layup by Moore, ending the game 71-49.

The Ramblers shot 38.2% on 68 attempts, with minimal success at the three-point line as they made four of 19 attempts. They crashed both the offensive and defensive boards, grabbing 52 total rebounds in comparison to Roosevelt’s 33 and also compiled 21 assists and 10 steals.

While the team mitigated Roosevelt’s physical plan, ball control remained an issue as the team turned the ball over 16 times, according to Tanin.

“Roosevelt’s a very physical team,” Tanin said. “I think seeing the way that we can share the ball when we get it inside and out and using that physicality, that was definitely a positive for us. We had way too many turnovers both halves. Some of them weren’t forced by the defense, which are ones that we have to work on ourselves.” 

Head coach Alison Guth said offensive struggles were limiting, but the team showed improvement to the physicality of the Lakers.

“There’s easier buckets we can create for ourselves,” Guth said. “I give credit to Roosevelt ’cause I thought they were intense. Their ball pressure was heavy, how they tracked us off ball screens, they really put us on our heels in a few things. So we step away, leveling up. It gets us better, you know? I’m pleased.”

The Ramblers’ first regular season game will be Nov. 6 in Gentile Arena, where they take on University of Illinois Chicago at 6 p.m. The game will be available online on ESPN+. 

Featured image by Aidan Cahill | The Phoenix