Ramblers Stumble Offensively against the Hawks

The Loyola women’s basketball team struggled to pick up offensive momentum against Saint Joseph’s University Jan. 31 in a 61-50 loss. 

Graduate guard Alyssa Fisher led both teams, scoring 19 points for the Ramblers. Graduate guard Sam Galanopoulos and fourth-year forward Sitori Tanin followed with 14 and eight, respectively. Saint Joseph’s third-year guard Mackenzie Smith made 15 for the Hawks. 

The Hawks won the tip off and took an early 4-0 lead. Galanopoulos and fourth-year guard Thoranna Kika Hodge-Carr helped to push Loyola ahead 8-4 with multiple buckets at the first official timeout. 

Saint Joseph’s regained control, taking the lead away from Loyola. Steals by graduate guard Chloe Welch and third-year guard Julia Nystrom resulted in four points for the Hawks. Third-year Hawk forward Talya Brugler added four points on a second-chance attempt and a layup. Fisher ended the quarter with a three, sending the teams into a brief break at 19-11 in favor of the Hawks. 

Brugler opened the second quarter with a layup after a miss from Fisher. Tanin blocked an attempt from the Hawks offense, working her way to a career-high of five blocks throughout the game. 

The Hawks momentum didn’t falter as first-year guard Gabby Casey and Smith brought the game to 28-13. Smith’s fire kept burning as she sank a bucket out of a timeout. Fisher was fouled on a driving layup and added one to the Ramblers’ score. 

Second-year guard Kira Chivers threw a Hail Mary half-court shot as the halftime buzzer sounded which miraculously found the bottom of the net, sending both teams into halftime with the Hawks leading 32-17 

Galanopoulos opened the scoring in the second half with a layup, which was quickly followed by a 3-pointer by Saint Joseph’s Welch. On the next possession, Smith took the ball all the way for a layup after forcing a steal which added to the 21 points the Hawks gained from Loyola turnovers. 

Fisher hit a layup following another three from Welch before an official timeout, with the Ramblers down 42-21 with under five minutes left in the third quarter. 

Fisher, Smith and Tanin each scored on their respective possessions before Fisher made two at the line. A layup attempt by first-year guard Aleah Snead was interrupted by a foul by fourth-year forward Aaliyah Moore, adding to the Ramblers total of 13 fouls by the end of the game. 

Tanin ended the quarter with a layup, leaving the Ramblers staring at an 18-point deficit with a quarter to play. 

Nystrom kicked off the scoring in the fourth quarter with a layup which Snead responded to and drew a foul by Hodge-Carr in the process. Galanopoulos took her turn at the line and added a point for Loyola. 

Out of a timeout, each team scored on their possessions with a pull-up by Fisher, a layup by Snead, a Galanopoulos 3-pointer and a third-chance basket from Tanin. The Ramblers were heating up when Moore stole the ball and sent it to Fisher for a layup, now down 57-45 with three minutes left in the game. 

The Ramblers ended with multiple fouls called on Tanin, Hodge-Carr and Fisher, which head coach Allison Guth said is something the team needs to focus on more. 

“It sounded like we were getting body calls instead of hand checks,” Guth said. “Being more physical on the body and some of the ways we were switching out. That’s what was communicated to me. We’ll just have to find a way to play more clean.” 

Galanopoulos finished the game with a layup and the Hawks flew home with another win under their belt at 61-50. 

Guth said she appreciated the student turnout and hopes more Ramblers fans come and watch the team play. 

“I’m telling you, The Pack student section gave us life,” Guth said. “Please come back because it was absolutely inspiring for us. And I’ll tell you what — this team deserves to have that type of crowd.” 

The Ramblers hit the road to take on La Salle University Thursday, Feb. 8, with a tip-off scheduled for 5:30 p.m. with streaming on ESPN+. The team returns to Gentile Arena Sunday, Feb. 11, to face Davidson College for National Girls and Women in Sports Day at 2 p.m., which can be streamed on NBC Sports Chicago+.

Featured image by Megan Dunn | The Loyola Phoenix