Strong Second Quarter Isn’t Enough for Ramblers to Overcome Redbirds in 59-44 Loss

Loyola women’s basketball extended their losing skid to four in a 59-44 loss against Illinois State University. Second-year forward Brooklyn Vaughn led Loyola with her second straight double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds. Redbirds second-year forward Doneelah Washington added a double-double as well with 11 points and 13 rebounds.

The Redbirds won the opening tip and quickly jumped out to a 3-0 lead off a three from fourth-year guard Bella Finnegan. Vaughn started Loyola off with a layup and Illinois State’s first-year guard Jaeden Pratt responded quickly with a jumper. 

The Ramblers were aggressive on the boards early, with Vaughn grabbing a miss and Loyola forcing a turnover off Finnegan’s rebound, which led to a deep 3-pointer for third-year guard Rosalie Mercille. Redshirt fourth-year forward Addison Martin put the Redbirds back in front with a jumper and made the ensuing and-one.

Illinois State began pulling away with Finnegan knocking down another three to make it 11-5. Washington added a second-chance layup, and first-year guard Kya Hurt had a free run to the basket to extend the run. 

A post move by third-year forward Nevaeh Thomas put the Redbirds up 17-5 as head coach Allison Guth called a timeout with Loyola’s offense being held scoreless for over six minutes. The adjustments worked as a block by second-year guard Alexa Kinas led to a fastbreak three for third-year guard Audrey Deptula. 

Pratt responded for the Redbirds with a floater which proved to be the final points of the quarter, with Illinois State up 19-8.

The second quarter started with Kinas being found for an easy layup. Illinois State found its way to the line again with second-year guard Trista Fayta drawing a foul on second-year forward Roisin Grandberry, where she made one. Mercille was called for an offensive foul on a shot the next possession, drawing boos from the Rambler crowd.

Martin made a jumper off the foul, but Vaughn fought back with a strong post make that gave the Ramblers a three-point play. Mercille followed with a fastbreak layup thanks to a Grandberry block, and a three from first-year guard and forward Alex-Anne Bessette saw the Ramblers storming back to down four, forcing an Illinois State timeout.

A foul on Kinas sent Thomas to the line, where she made one. Bessette continued to tighten the Redbird lead after a fadeaway jumper, but Hurt countered with a three. Bessette continued her offensive showing as she found the basket again on an aggressive drive.

The following possession, Thomas and Grandberry both dove for a loose ball, where Thomas dislocated her left elbow and remained down on the floor in pain for multiple minutes before leaving the game in an ambulance.

Martin made momentum for the Redbirds following the break with back-to-back layups to make it 30-22. Kinas knocked down a quick three to cut back into the lead and Vaughn sliced it down even more with a post hook. 

Vaughn lost the ball, which led to a Chivers blocking foul which put Illinois State in the bonus as Fayta made both at the line. Chivers drove down the floor with seven seconds left and was fouled, leading to a successful trip at the line to end the half with Loyola trailing 32-29.

It took a minute and a half for either team to make a basket in the third quarter as Vaughn opened the second half scoring with a post move. Martin matched immediately with a layup of her own. Washington made a layup after a Loyola deadball foul, and Vaughn countered with one at the stripe.

A mismatch in the paint created an easy layup for Washington, extending the Illinois State lead to 38-32. A foul was called on second-year guard Kendall Hendrix after she was headbutted in the post, drawing dismay from both Guth and the student section as they erupted in “Take their whistle” chants, leading to a review. After review, the refs confirmed it was a common foul on Hendrix.

Hendrix responded with a contested layup off a Chivers steal, and she followed up with a layup of her own to make it 38-36. Hurt ended the Rambler run with a floater, and Hendrix lost the ball, leading to another score on a Martin layup. Kinas and Fayta traded layups to end the quarter as Illinois State still led 44-38.

Kinas kicked off the fourth, drawing a shooting foul and sinking both. Strong defense on both sides kept the game scoreless for four minutes until Kinas ended the drought with a turnaround jumper. Illinois State finally got on the board in the fourth with a Fayta jump shot.

Fayta made two at the line and Bessette bounced back with a post hook as Washington countered with a layup. Another two-minute cold stretch hit the court as neither side could find a basket before Illinois State called a timeout with two minutes to play.

The Redbirds got going out of the timeout after Pratt missed a layup that was nabbed and put back in by Martin to make it 52-44. A Vaughn miss with a minute left forced the Ramblers to foul, where Fayta was sent to the line, making the first, but despite missing the second, Martin grabbed the offensive rebound and found Fayta, who was fouled and made both this time to put Illinois State up 11.

A Kinas miss led to more foul shots as Washington made both. Deptula missed a three on the ensuing possession as Kinas fouled out. Guth continued to protest the refs, complaining the Redbirds had only been called for six fouls all game. Fayta made one-of-two, and another offensive rebound led to another free throw from Washington to end the game 59-44.

Guth spoke on the frustration of Loyola’s inconsistent scoring after putting up 21 points in the second quarter and only 23 in the other three combined.

“My goodness, the thing I’m so frustrated about is I’m looking at the third quarter from the other night, and I’m looking at the second quarter, and I’m seeing our players play to their strengths within the offensive system we have, with the confidence they’re going to score it,” Guth said. “It’s the same offense we’re running in the other quarters, and so it’s baffling as a coach to try and figure out why.”

The Ramblers take the court next Nov. 22 at 2 p.m. for an inner city matchup at the University of Illinois-Chicago in Credit 1 Union Arena. Streaming will be available on ESPN+.