Ramblers Drop Conference Matchup Against La Salle

The Loyola women’s basketball team opened their Atlantic 10 Conference slate with a 55-45 loss against La Salle University Dec. 3. Graduate forward Sitori Tanin led all scorers with 15 points, while the Explorers were led by 11-point efforts from second-year guard Aryss Macktoon and redshirt second-year guard Ashleigh Connor.

The final scoreline was a blow to the Ramblers, as they’d been placed five spots above the 14th-ranked La Salle in the A10’s preseason poll.

Tanin tipped the ball to third-year guard Kira Chivers for the game’s opening, but the Ramblers first offensive possession ended with graduate guard Naelle Bernard being called for a travel violation.

La Salle was unsuccessful with their initial offensive possession as well, giving third-year guard and forward Emma Theodorsson the opportunity to drive along the baseline and finish a layup to open the scoring.

The Explorers immediately gained the lead with an eight-point scoring run, with layups by graduate forward Mackenzie Daleba, Ayisse Magassa and Connors. The run ended after Tanin converted a layup off a pass from third-year guard Kira Chivers.

After a media timeout was called, graduate guard Jess Finney and Connors exchanged 3-pointers, and Tanin followed with a quick driving layup to shorten the Explorer’s lead to 11-9.

A minute and a half of missed 3-pointers and layups passed before the next score, as La Salle graduate guard Jolene Armendariz finally ended the scoring skid with a 3-pointer. Macktoon grabbed an offensive rebound and finished a put-back layup to end the first quarter 16-9.

La Salle grabbed the first points of the second quarter after first-year guard Joanie Quinn hit a corner three. Second-year guard Rosalie Mercille responded with a tough layup for the Ramblers to tighten the gap to eight points.

Another timeout was called on the floor, after which graduate forward Thoranna Kika Hodge-Carr drove in another layup for the Ramblers and third-year guard Ty’Renisha Bowers Jr. hit a two-point jumper in the corner to bring La Salle’s lead to 21-13.

Three quick scores happened in a 40-second span, as Tanin hit a jump shot in the paint and Daleba overcame Theodorsson’s defense for a layup. Theodorsson made a jumper just outside the key in response for a 23-17 score. 

Daleba recorded another layup after a two-minute scoring drought, and in the final minute, Finney hit a layup. 

The Ramblers had a two-second opportunity to make a play after a foul was assessed on the Explorers for a moving screen, but a heave from first-year guard Alexa Kinas bounced harmlessly off the backboard and the half ended with La Salle in the lead at 25-19.

Abysmal shooting plagued the Ramblers, as they shot 26.7% and 31.3% in the respective quarters.

“This was an uncharacteristic night for us, the way we shot the ball,” head coach Allison Guth said. “We need to get back to running what we do to create great offense.”

The Ramblers got early buckets to start the second half as Bernard and Tanin both converted layups — Bernard’s coming after creating pressure and grabbing a steal. La Salle scored four straight by a Connor jumpshot and Magassa layup.

At the six-minute mark, both sides found an efficient groove, outsourcing the Explorer’s 9-5 in a two-minute span. A three from Tanin capped off the scoring run and also put her into the Loyola women’s basketball 1,000-point club — a positive takeaway of the night for the team.

Chivers and Macktoon exchanged lone free throws, and Tanin and Magassa exchanged layups to narrowly give La Salle a two-point gap at 37-35.

With under a minute remaining in the third quarter, the lead slipped away from the Ramblers again as back-to-back steals by the Explorers both ended with layups and a 41-35 score.

Poor shooting and turnovers hit the Ramblers again early on in the fourth quarter, as La Salle scored eight unanswered in five minutes.

The Ramblers finally got on the board in the fourth as Bernard was fouled on a drive and hit two free throws. Theodorsson hit a three right after to inject some life back into the team with four minutes left and the scoreboard reading 49-40.

La Salle scored four points against a two-point jumpshot from Bernard to extend their lead to 11. With just over a minute remaining, Loyola called a timeout, after which Bernard drained a 3-pointer — the Ramblers’ final points of the night.

Quinn drained two free throws after being fouled by Bernard, and despite calling another timeout, Loyola was unable to muster a response for the final 55-45 scoreline.

Despite a strong third quarter performance in which the Ramblers shot 50%, the team was 33.3% on the night, with putrid 19% three-point shooting. Loyola posted 12 assists while recording 17 turnovers  — a major issue, according to Guth. 

Guth said the tough loss also indicated issues beyond the court

“For us right now, I think it’s a confidence issue,” Guth said. “It’s us getting to know each other. To me, I think we have individually some exciting pieces of the puzzle — we collectively have to come together as a unit.”

The Ramblers hit the road for their next matchup, traveling to Kalamazoo, MI to take on Western Michigan University Dec. 7. The game is set to start at 12 p.m. and is available to stream on ESPN+.