Ramblers Fall to an Aggressive Davidson Offense 48-45

Loyola women’s basketball fell short in a tough defensive battle 48-45 against Davidson College Feb. 11 in Gentile Arena. 

Graduate guard Sam Galanopoulos led the Ramblers with 18 points and four rebounds, followed closely by graduate guard Alyssa Fisher and fourth-year guard Thoranna Kika Hodge-Carr with 10 each. Redshirt third-year Wildcat guard Maddie Plank took charge for Davidson with 12 points. 

Fourth-year forward Sitori Tanin won the tip-off for the Ramblers which was stolen, allowing Plank to put the first points on the board with a layup. Tanin was sent to the line and made one after being fouled on a layup attempt. 

Davidson first-year guard Katie Donovan made a layup, making it 4-1. Graduate guard Sophia Nolan and second-year Wildcat guard Charlise Dunn chased and dove for the ball at half-court, resulting in an injury for Dunn. 

Davidson head coach Gayle Fulks received two technical fouls after the play and was ejected from the game, forcing assistant coach James Janssen to take the lead for the Wildcats only four minutes into the game. 

Galanopoulos took the free-throws from the technical and made three out of four to tie the game. 

Fisher and Donovan each recorded a layup before Davidson’s redshirt fourth-year forward Elle Sutphin took the lead with two at the free-throw line. 

The Wildcats took charge with a 3-pointer by third-year guard Mallorie Haines and two more from Sutphin at the line. Hodge-Carr made a layup and graduate guard Emma Nolan made two at the line. 

The Ramblers closed out the first quarter ahead by one at 14-13 with a jumper by Fisher and a block by fourth-year forward Aaliyah Moore. 

Fisher opened the scoring in the second quarter with a jumper. Misses from Emma Nolan, Plank, Hodge-Carr and Davidson third-year guard Issy Morgan ensued until Haines halted the scoring drought with a three just as the shot clock expired. 

Loyola was down 20-16 at the official timeout before Fisher and Morgan endured another series of missed shots.Third-year Davidson forward Millie Prior hit a layup before another timeout. 

Galanopoulos made a layup and Plank hit a 3-pointer to send the teams into the locker rooms at halftime with Davidson leading 27-18. 

Hodge-Carr came out of the break with the first points of the second half, scoring on an open layup. Galanopoulos kept things cooking with a made shot from beyond the arc. Fisher added two to the board at the line as the teams went into a timeout at 31-27 in favor of Davidson. 

The Nolan twins worked together to steal the ball and send it in for another Rambler bucket, but the strong Wildcat offense added two points themselves, ending the quarter with Davidson ahead 35-31. 

Fisher opened the fourth making two free throws to try and close the gap. Galanopoulos went on a five-point streak, sinking a 3 and a jumper to get the Ramblers back ahead. Hodge-Carr also contributed to the comeback with two made free-throws.

Tanin rejected Plank to make her third block of the night, which was sent to Galanopoulos for a layup. The first of four timeouts in the last two minutes was called, which gave Hodge-Carr the ability to make a layup. 

Sutphin was the only scorer before the next timeout, adding a jumper to the board. There was no action on the Ramblers’ offensive possession and Hodge-Carr fouled Morgan, solidifying the Wildcat win at 48-45. 

Loyola head coach Allison Guth said she was disappointed in the team’s offense in the second quarter, where they only scored four points while Davidson racked up 14

“We come away, as a group, a bit disappointed in our second quarter offensive performance,” Guth said. “We thought we fixed that on the road against La Salle with having our offense hot and sharing the ball beautifully. We know those are the areas we have to fix.” 

The Ramblers are heading on a brief road trip to face Saint Louis University Feb. 14 with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. After that, the team travels to Richmond University to face the Spiders Feb. 17 at 5 p.m. Both road games can be streamed on ESPN+.  

Featured image by Megan Dunn | The Phoenix