Rams Rutt Women’s Basketball Out of Conference Tournament in 71-64 Heartbreaker

Loyola women’s basketball lost in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 (A10) Conference Tournament March 6 to one seeded Rhode Island, 71-64. Graduate guard Alexus Mobley supplied a game high 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Ramblers while fourth-year guard Brooklyn Gray scored 16 points for the Rams.

After playing what may be her final game at Loyola, Mobley opened up about what she’ll miss most about playing for the program. 

“This staff has believed in me so much,” Mobley said. “They’ve taken a chance on me, they brought me in, they treated me like one of their own. My teammates — they’re my sisters, I’ve never been a part of a team where I felt like everyone believed in me and I’ve been inspired by every single human that has talked to me. I love these girls and I love the staff.”

Despite losing the opening tip, Loyola’s defense shut down Rhode Island, forcing a shot clock violation to open the game. The Rams didn’t back down, keeping the Ramblers scoreless for the first two minutes while Gray knocked down a three for the game’s first points. 

Mobley battled back with a layup for Loyola’s first basket. Gray posted up inside for a post score, a Rambler miss and Gray knocked down another three. Second-year guard Alexa Kinas missed a fadeaway as fourth-year guard Ines Debroise swished a baseline jumper for a 10-2 lead as head coach Allison Guth called a timeout. 

Fourth-year guard Kira Chivers started a short Rambler run with a layup, followed by second-year guard Kendall Hendrix grabbing Chivers’ missed 3-pointer and putting it in. 

Three straight foul calls on Loyola angered both the Rambler bench and Loyola’s Band of Wolves, who already began chanting “take his whistle” at the referees. Gray remained unscathed, knocking down both shots.

A Loyola miss and another foul put the Rams in the bonus, where Debroise sank two free throws. Mobley added two for the Ramblers on a layup, countered by a layup from first-year Rams guard Vanessa Harris. 

A defensive stop gave the Ramblers the final possession of the quarter, where second-year forward Brooklyn Vaughn hit a fading post move to end the first quarter with Loyola trailing 16-10.

Loyola started the second quarter the same as the first, forcing a Rhode Island shot clock violation. First-year forward Nevaeh Dickman took full advantage, rattling in a jump shot from just outside the paint. Another Loyola stop and Mobley grabbed the rebound and ran all the way across the court for the lay-in. 

A foul on Kinas sent Harris to the line, but the Rams remained scoreless as she bricked both shots. First-year guard and forward Alex-Anne Bessette brought Loyola their first lead on the ensuing possession, hitting a layup and making the and-one for a 17-16 lead. 

Another foul on Loyola drew more irate reactions from the Loyola bench and band as Debroise ended the 7-0 run, hitting both shots for the first Rhode Island points four minutes in. Redshirt third-year Clara Djoko followed by finding Vaughn inside for a layup and the 19-18 lead as the Rams used their first timeout.

The Ramblers mustered a defensive stop out of the break before Hendrix drew a foul on their next possession, making the first and missing the second. Harris followed with a pull-up jumper to tie at 20. Mobley grabbed her own miss, putting it back up and in for the 22-20 lead.

A foul on Mobley sent fourth-year Rhode Island forward Palmire Mbu to the line, making one. Second-year center Albina Syla put the Rams in front with a layup, quickly outdone by a post hook from third-year guard Rosalie Mercille. Gray turned in a four-point play for Rhode Island after swishing a corner three and drawing a foul on Mercille. 

A Mercille foul as she battled for an offensive rebound, the next possession marked her third and put the Rams in the bonus, where Mbu hit both shots. A foul called on Debroise at the buzzer caused the refs to review how much time was left on the clock, giving Loyola an inbound with 1.4 seconds remaining. The Rams stole the inbound to end the half, leading 29-24.

Bessette opened the second half scoring by knocking down Loyola’s first three of the game after going 0-5 in the first half. Syla sank a jumper and drew a foul on Mobley, making the and-one. 

Mbu and Vaughn traded layups before an offside rebound from Syla gave the Rams a putback. Mobley missed three, and Rhode Island moved in front by nine on a layup from third-year guard Sophia Vital. Bessette bounced back with a layup of her own as Guth called a timeout to gather her team down 38-31.

A stop led to a Vaughn paint floater, met by a lay-in from Syla. A moving screen waved off a Bessette 3-point attempt as Harris took advantage of the extra possession with a layup. Chivers followed by drawing a foul, knocking down both shots. Harris kept the hot hand, swishing an open three.

A travel on Chivers led to another two foul shots for the Rams, with Debroise making one of two. Mobley followed with a post score to bring the lead down to 11. Bessette missed a deep 3-pointer as Harris connected on a three of her own. Kinas and Syla traded jumpers, and Djoko added one more.

Djoko drew a foul on the following possession, stepping up to the line and making one. Rhode Island inbounded with 3.3 seconds left in the quarter, their half-court heave bouncing off the rim as they held a 53-42 advantage entering the fourth.

Mbu made a layup and sank an and-one to start the fourth, Bessette missed a three and Debroise ran cross-court for a fastbreak layup. Vaughn countered with a layup, drawing a foul but missing her and-one chance. Mbu followed with another paint score, matched by Mobley grabbing her own miss and making the putback. 

Vaughn put in another layup, followed by Bessette drawing a foul but missing both shots at the line. A defensive stop gave Loyola the ball where Syla fouled Vaughn, putting Loyola in the bonus, sinking both shots. 

Another stop, and Mercille pulled up and splashed a three to cut the Rams’ lead down to single digits for the first time since the midway point of the third quarter. Bessette kept the momentum rolling, drawing a foul on a drive and hitting both to make it 60-55 with three and a half to play.

A foul on Vaughn ended the 10-0 run as Gray finished a successful trip to the line. Two Rhode Island turnovers and one from Loyola led to Guth using a timeout down seven with just over two minutes to play. Mobley stepped up out of the timeout, making a layup and drawing a foul, hitting the and-one.

The Rams countered with a three-point play of their own from Vital. Mobley finished another paint score, but Mbu found herself inside for a lay-in. Bessette missed a layup for Loyola, and Gray blew a wide-open look, leading to a fast break as Kinas found an uncovered Vaughn for a layup to make it 67-62 with 26.7 to play. 

Both sides used timeouts to rally their troops for the final push. Loyola was forced to foul down five with Kinas sending Mbu to the stripe, making both. The Rams full-court pressed as the Ramblers moved down the court, Mobley drawing a foul and hitting both to make it 69-64 with 13.5 seconds remaining.

Rhode Island’s inbound went just over the outstretched arm of Bessette as they ran the clock down to 9.1 before Vaughn sent Debroise to the line, making two. Guth used her final timeout to draw up a play. 

Chivers missed a layup off the inbound, but the ball went off a Ram, giving them a second chance. Chivers’ three rattled off the rim as Rhode Island ended Loyola’s conference hopes with a 71-64 win. 

After the game, Guth spoke on how Loyola can use this season as a stepping stone to consistently playing at this level in the A10. 

“I think we’ve proven that we belong, and that’s important to us,” Guth said. “That’s what [Chivers] was talking about, the rival to the league and where we’re at. I think the real winners are never satisfied, and I think if you look at our season, you have to win the games you’re supposed to, and we did not do that in our non-con. We could be better there and you gotta find ways where there’s adversity to fight through some of the stretches.”

With the loss, Loyola closed out their 2025-26 season, exceeding their preseason expectations that placed them 13th in the A10. After being eliminated from the conference tournament, the Ramblers will await to see if they have been selected to the NCAA Tournament, Women’s National Invitation Tournament or the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament March 15.