Field Trip Day Fame Sends Women’s Basketball to Win Over Oakland

The Loyola women’s basketball team defeated Oakland University during Field Trip Day Dec. 15, setting a Gentile Arena attendance record of 3,825. First-year guard and forward Alex-Anne Bessette scored 18 points in the 59-56 victory, while Oakland’s first-year guard Makenzie Luehring and redshirt fourth-year center and forward Lianna Baxter each scored 12 points. 

Oakland’s head coach Keisha Newell isn’t a stranger to Loyola, as she played for the Ramblers and became an assistant coach following her graduation from 2011-2014. Head coach Allison Guth, an assistant coach at Loyola from 2005-2007, said she helped recruit Newell to the program and even shouted the coach and her staff out at the end of the game. 

“It tells me I’m getting old when I see who I recruited coaching,” Guth said, laughing. “She’s doing such a phenomenal job. It’s always hard to play against somebody you really love and respect.”

Oakland’s redshirt second-year guard Cali Denson started the game with a 3-pointer as second-year forward Brooklyn Vaughn drove in a layup on the other side for Loyola’s first points. Baxter countered with a layup of her own, followed by one from Oakland’s second-year guard Angie Smith.

Baxter added a three to the board, forcing a Loyola timeout — now down 10-2. Baxter made a jumper and second-year guard Alexa Kinas made one at the line for the first Loyola point in three minutes. Third-year guard Rosalie Mercille added a layup before second-year Golden Grizzlies center Sereniti Roberts-Adams drove in a layup for a nine-point Oakland advantage. 

Graduate guard Alexus Mobley drove in a layup for a seven-point game as Denson and Kinas traded jumpers. Kinas added two at the line before receiving a steal from Vaughn and scoring a layup, ending the first quarter 16-13 in favor of the Golden Grizzlies. 

Vaughn started the second quarter with a steal and score. Mercille attempted to do the same but missed on her 3-pointer attempt. Oakland’s third-year guard Jazzy Dupree-Hebert started a brief run for the Golden Grizzlies with a 3-pointer, followed by layups from Baxter and first-year forward Karinna Trotter. Mercille answered for the Ramblers with a three. 

Luehring and Vaughn traded layups before a minute of scoreless play. Mercille broke the drought with a layup to make it a three-point game, forcing an Oakland timeout. 

Kinas made one at the line before another pause in scoring, which Vaughn broke with a layup and the first Loyola lead of the game. Oakland’s third-year guard and forward Layla Gold brought the lead back for the Golden Grizzlies with a successful trip to the line, but a layup from fourth-year guard Kira Chivers kept the Ramblers in the game, going into halftime ahead 28-27. 

Bessette got the Ramblers started two minutes into the third quarter with a coast-to-coast layup from a defensive rebound. She repeated the action on the next Loyola possession to put the Ramblers up 32-27. 

Luehring made two at the line and Denson drained a three to tie the game at 32. Two minutes of scoreless play plagued the court before three consecutive possessions of scoring. Bessette broke the tie with a 3-pointer and Oakland’s graduate guard Filippa Goula hit a jumper, followed by a Kinas layup to make it a 37-34 game. 

Gold and Luehring combined for three free throws as Mobley made two, and Chivers added one to keep the Loyola advantage. Redshirt third-year forward Clara Djoko sent in a layup before a 10-second violation on Oakland, which the Ramblers failed to capitalize on. 

Roberts-Adams made one at the line before Mercille completed a three-point play. Second-year Golden Grizzlies guard Angie Smith ended the third quarter with a layup to close the gap to 45-40 in favor of the Ramblers. 

Smith hit a layup to start the fourth quarter which was followed by a jumper from Bessette the next possession. Three free throws from Luehring and Baxter were cancelled out with a Mercille three to keep it a five-point game. Smith made another layup, which Bessette countered with a 3-pointer, prompting an Oakland timeout, now down 53-47. 

Baxter racked up four points on two layups, failing to complete a three-point play on the second after being fouled by Vaughn. A brief scoring drought plagued the court, which Bessette broke with a layup, matched by one from Smith. Bessette recorded another lay-in before Luehring hit a floater, signaling another Oakland timeout, this time down by two with under two minutes left to play.  

Unsuccessful possessions from both teams led to a Rambler timeout, where Denson was able to make one at the line to bring it to a one-point game. Bessette made sure to keep the advantage with the Ramblers by making both free throw attempts, ending the game 59-56 for a Loyola win. 

Following the game, Guth said she was happy with the turnout from the crowd and bringing a win back to Gentile. 

“So happy we can finally celebrate a win together,” Guth said. “We’ve been really focused on getting those possessions back in our pocket. The 19 assists mattered to me, the 19 points we scored off of forcing Oakland to 24 turnovers, that was big with us being able to set up our pressure and that starts with our aggressiveness.” 

The Ramblers head on the road to take on Northwestern University Thursday, Dec. 18. Tipoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. and can be streamed on the Big10 Network.