The Ramblers defeated St. Bonaventure in their Alzheimer’s Awareness game after outscoring the Bonnies by 10 in the fourth quarter.
The Ramblers defeated St. Bonaventure in their Alzheimer’s Awareness game after outscoring the Bonnies by 10 in the fourth quarter.
Loyola women’s basketball hosted St. Bonaventure University Jan. 31 for the Alzheimer’s Awareness Game. The Ramblers rattled off their fourth straight win in a 60-52 win. First-year guard and forward Alex-Anne Bessette had a game high 18 points, while graduate guard Laycee Drake led the Bonnies with 12 points.
After the game, head coach Allison Guth spoke on the importance of acknowledging Alzheimer’s, a cause close to the Ramblers’ hearts.
“We’re drawing awareness to a cause that we think there can be more scientific research for, and we wanted to pick a cause that really meant something to our players,” Guth said. “Kira Chivers lost her grandfather this past year to Alzheimer’s, and Audrey Deptula lost her grandma six years ago to it, so it hit really close to home.”
Graduate guard Alexus Mobley got the game off to a fast start with a quick steal, but a good contest by the Bonnies kept her shot from falling. Bessette scored the Ramblers’ first points the next possession with a spinning move, getting her inside the paint for an open lay-in.
St. Bonaventure second-year guard Mackenzie Pettinelli struck back with a corner three to take the lead. Fourth-year guard Kira Chivers matched with a corner three of her own, followed by an elbow three from Mobley, triggering a pop from the crowd and giving the Ramblers an 8-3 advantage.
Drake made a jumper, which was met by another layup by Bessette. Drake pulled up from the top of the key and nailed a 3-pointer, followed by a layup from fourth-year Bonnie forward Gabby Robinson to tie the game at 10.
Mobley pulled the Ramblers back in front with a layup, and third-year guard Audrey Deptula splashed a corner three. Third-year Bonnie forward Kylie Buckley hit a lay-in, and St. Bonaventure graduate guard Aaliyah Parker sank a baseline jumper to end the quarter with a 15-14 Loyola lead.
Drake opened the quarter with a 3-pointer to put the Bonnies in front following an offensive foul on redshirt third-year forward Clara Djoko. Second-year guard Alexa Kinas intercepted a St. Bonaventure pass but missed the chance to tie on the fast break layup. Buckley drew a foul on Chivers and made one shot, bringing the deficit to three.
Bessette brought Loyola closer, banking in a floater. The Rambler defense shut the Bonnies’ offense down for two minutes as Kinas connected on a paint jumper, and second-year guard Kendall Hendrix took a steal all the way for the score to put the Ramblers ahead 21-18.
Pettenelli brought the game back within one on a layup. Chivers brought it back to three, finding second-year forward Brooklyn Vaughn inside for a layup. A Hendrix block, followed by a tip from Kinas on the inbound, led to a Bonnie shot clock violation. Bessette beat the shot clock next for the Ramblers, splashing an elbow three. Bessette then left the half after injuring her ankle on a travel before Drake’s 3-pointer was off-line to end the half with a 26-20 Ramblers lead.
Parker and Robinson traded baskets with Bessette and Hendrix to open the third quarter with an offensive start. Mobley fouled Parker, who sank both. A turnover on Mobley led to a Drake jumper as the Loyola lead shrank to two.
Hendrix extended the lead with a three-point play, igniting the crowd on an and-one. An out-of-bounds call on Parker was challenged during the next possession by St. Bonaventure, but the call was upheld. Both defenses turned up the heat, full-court pressing and forcing turnovers on both sides. Parker broke through the Rambler defense after two and a half minutes with a layup to make it 33-30.
Pettinelli sank a jumper to cut it to one before Bessette pulled up from way downtown to nail a 3-pointer. Second-year Bonnie guard Olivia DiFranco scored on a baseline drive to make it a two-point game. Despite Loyola forcing a ten-second violation on the next St. Bonaventure possession, misses led to DiFranco tying the game on two foul shots.
Bessette reestablished the Rambler lead with a layup before Buckley hit a baseline jumper for the tie at 38. Vaughn drew a foul the following possession, making the first and missing the second. A 3-pointer from third-year guard Kaylee Krysztof gave the Bonnies a 41-39 lead to end the quarter as Deptula’s 3-pointer missed at the buzzer.
After Vaughn lost control of the defensive rebound, giving the Bonnies a second chance, Drake took advantage with a made jump shot. Vaughn made up for her error on a lay-in. Bessette came away with a steal as third-year guard Rosalie Mercille buried an elbow three to give Loyola back the lead.
It didn’t last long as DiFranco finished a three-point play before Bessette tied the game on a layup. Bonnies redshirt first-year forward Brianna Barr-Buday hit a turnaround in the post to make it 48-46. Vaughn followed by drawing a foul and made both at the stripe to tie.
Mobley put Loyola in front on a layup before the Ramblers’ press forced an errant pass out of bounds. Mercille took advantage, scoring on the baseline drive to take the four-point advantage. Parker drew a foul on Mobley, leading to a successful trip to the line.
Chivers followed by burying a corner three as Loyola’s defense forced another stop. Chivers couldn’t finish her contest layup attempt as DiFranco made it a one-possession game on a layup as Loyola called a timeout up 55-52 with 55 seconds remaining.
St. Bonaventure’s trap failed on the next possession, as Chivers found Bessette, who threw it across court to Kinas for the baseline jumper. Despite a blocking foul on Hendrix, Loyola’s defense remained strong, stopping the Bonnies from scoring before Kinas was sent to the line, as St. Bonaventure intentionally fouled with 32 seconds to play.
Kinas sank both for a 59-52 lead as St. Bonaventure used their final timeout. Kinas intercepted the Bonnies’ inbound pass, sprinting downcourt before drawing another foul, this time missing both. Parker’s 3-point attempt airballed as Chivers drew the foul with 15.7 to play, hitting the second shot.
A reach-in foul on Bessette gave the Bonnies one last chance, but a bricked corner three and missed jumper ended the game in a 60-52 Rambler victory.
Guth spoke post game about how important the Ramblers’ defense was in the fourth quarter, holding St. Bonaventure to 4-16 shooting.
“I’m gonna draw attention to [Hendrix] in our man-to-man possessions, or I should say woman-to-woman possessions,” Guth said. “We were really aggressive with understanding, not letting anything comfortable happen. I think our gap pressure got better besides the on-ball pressure that Hendrix provided.”
Loyola heads on the road next week, taking on Fordham University Wednesday, Feb. 4 at 5 p.m. Streaming will be available on ESPN+.
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