Women’s Basketball Narrowly Defeats Valparaiso 70-62

The Loyola women’s basketball team overcame a third-quarter scare to eke out a 70-62 victory over Valparaiso University Nov. 19. Graduate guard Naelle Bernard led all scorers with 18 points, while the Beacons had two players follow closely behind.

Valparasio’s graduate guard and forward Leah Earnest and second-year guard and forward Nevaeh Jackson scored 16 and 17 points. Earnest’s play was highlighted in the team’s pre-game preparation, according to head coach Allison Guth.

“Earnest was a major part of our game plan,” Guth said. “It was about frustrating her and limiting her. We had some interesting scout assignments where we were going to blitz and trap — I thought our team did a really nice job disrupting her.”

Graduate forward Sitori Tanin got a hand on the opening tipoff, which fell to third-year guard Kira Chivers. The Ramblers’ first possession turned up empty as a pass inside the paint was stolen by the Beacons.  

Valparaiso’s first possession met a similar end, as Earnest was charged with an offensive foul. It would be another minute before graduate guard Jess Finney broke the ice with a 3-pointer for Loyola’s game-spanning lead.

Finney’s shot preceded several missed possessions between the sides before Jackson hit a three to tie the game. 

After Chivers attempted a three that bounced off the rim and grabbed her own rebound, she made a jump-shot from the free-throw line to give the Ramblers a 5-3 lead.

Loyola continued to attack from beyond the arc, scoring two threes on back-to-back possessions. The first came from graduate guard Thoranna Kika Hodge-Carr and the second from Finney, leading the Beacons to call a timeout.

Over the course of two minutes after the timeout, both sides gave up possession as a result of fouls, a lone turnover and missed shots, before Valparaiso’s fourth-year forward Katie Beyer grabbed a defensive rebound and took it the length of the court to make it 11-5 with a layup. 

With a minute and a half left in the first quarter, Jackson sank a three and second-year guard Rosalie Mercille delivered a baseline layup. In the dying seconds, third-year guard and forward Emma Theodorsson took a two-point shot just outside the key to extend the Ramblers’ lead at 15-8.

Bernard was a major force in the second quarter and crucial to extending Loyola’s lead. After Loyola missed two shots and the Beacons suffered a turnover, Bernard hit a wide-open three. 

Second-year forward Kayla Preston got two back with the layup, but Bernard hit two more 3-pointers in consecutive offensive possessions — the second coming after snatching a defensive rebound.

Earnest drove into the paint and stretched a floater over her defender for a 24-12 score. She was beaten on the next play by Chivers who drove in an open layup from the perimeter.

Second-year guard Audrey Deptula added another three to the Ramblers’ stat line. Earnest drove in a tough layup with heavy coverage, and Hodge-Carr dished a slick pass in the paint to Tanin for a layup.

The Beacons recorded two consecutive three-point plays, with the first coming from second-year guard and forward Layla Gold’s shot behind the arc. The second was an and-one play from Earnest, who finished a layup and free throw after being fouled by first-year guard Holly Dolny.

Bernard continued her scoring in the second quarter with another 3-pointer, while Earnest marched down the court with another layup in the paint for a 34-22. 

Chivers made a baseline jumper and fouled second-year guard Raeven Raye-Redmond on the following play — who hit neither of her free throws.

The Ramblers closed out the half by scoring six straight points, with first-year Alexa Kinas hitting two jumpshots and Theodorsson finishing a layup through contact. Kinas’ second shot gave the Ramblers a twenty-point lead, their highest of the night for a 42-22 score.

Third-quarter breakdowns continue to plague the Ramblers this season and were on display Tuesday, as the twenty-point lead shrunk to just eight in a matter of four minutes.

Third-year guard Maci Rhoades’ six points led the Beacons’ second-half charge with a 3-pointer, layup and lone free throw, while Gold contributed two layups and Jackson added another. Each Rambler possession during the 12-point run ended in a turnover, with Loyola’s total turnover count jumping from eight to 14.

A three from Deptula stopped the bleeding, pushing the score to 45-34 before a timeout was called on the court. 

On the team’s early second-half struggles, Guth remained adamant about continuing to work through and get to the root of the issue.

“We’re gonna step away and figure out what our third quarter issue is,” Guth said. “We’ve done everything from get our players back on the floor quicker to get them warmed up quicker to change our defensive game plan — even switch lineups. We’re going to find a way.”

After the timeout, Rey-Redmond and first-year forward Brooklyn Vaughn exchanged layups. In the final three minutes, the Ramblers managed two more layups, while the Beacons finished three for a final third quarter score of 51-42.

With the momentum shifted, Loyola’s goal adjusted to remaining mentally fortified and ready to close out the game, according to Bernard.

“Trying to find the key things that we could do better, but also keeping that positive outlook,” Bernard said. “Try and bring our confidence back because it’s important that we point out our mistakes, but don’t get down to ourselves too much.”

The fourth quarter started off quick as Valparaiso’s third-year guard Fiona Connolly flew into an empty paint for a layup from the inbound pass.

Chivers and Jackson traded a pair of layups — Chivers from a quick movement on the inside and Jackson with a wide-open fast break. A Loyola turnover on their next possession allowed Rhoades to finish a layup with limited constraint.

The game intensity continued to ramp up, with Tanin managing to get open for two layups against a lone free throw from Earnest. 

Chivers traded layups with another Valparaiso player — this time Connolly — to make the score 59-51. On the following possession, Theodorsson poked the ball loose and scored with a layup for the ten-point lead.

The Beacons scored five straight as Earnest was fouled at the three-point line and sank two of three free throws. Jackson threaded through the defense with a layup for a 61-55 scoreline.

With a minute left on the clock, the game became exclusively free-throw scoring, with the exception of a lone 3-pointer from Jackson. The Ramblers, who had recorded zero free throw attempts before the fourth quarter, hit nine of ten, while the Beacons hit four. Chivers would be the last of the night to score with a successful trip at the line for a 70-62 final score.

With the victory, the Ramblers now boast a 4-1 record and will take a trip to Charleston, IL., where they’ll face off against Eastern Illinois University Nov. 23. The game is set to start at 2 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.