Women’s basketball defeated the Panthers following a strong second half showing.
Women’s basketball defeated the Panthers following a strong second half showing.
The Loyola women’s basketball team defeated the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers Saturday Dec. 9 following a strong second half showing.
Fourth-year forward Sitori Tanin led the Ramblers with 16 points and was followed closely by graduate guard Ali Berg with 13. Milwaukee’s third-year guard Kendall Nead was the top scorer for the Panthers with 16.
The Ramblers came into the game with a 4-4 record after their last home win against Eastern Illinois University. The Panthers came to Rogers Park 5-5 after a loss against the University of St. Thomas.
Tanin won the tipoff for the Ramblers, which was picked up by fourth-year guard Thoranna Kika Hodge-Carr.
Graduate guard Sam Galanopoulos hit the first three of the game right away off a pass from Tanin. Galanopoulos returned the favor, assisting Tanin on a layup to make it 5-0.
Hodge-Carr and Galanopoulos set up a tough defensive wall and halted multiple Panther attempts to get the ball down the court, resulting in multiple fouls for Loyola. Each player totaled three fouls, contributing to the team’s total 13.
Both teams scored on their next possessions, with Tanin, redshirt second-year forward Anna Lutz, and third-year Panther guard Jada Donaldson making their attempts to close the Rambler lead to three.
Loyola led 10-6 at the official time out. Tanin made one at the line and graduate guard Emma Nolan made a layup for the Ramblers while Nead added two to the Panthers’ score.
Both teams struggled on the offensive front with misses coming from fourth-year forward Aaliyah Moore, Tanin, graduate guard Sophia Nolan until Hodge-Carr broke the drought with a layup.
Graduate guard Alyssa Fisher attempted to run out the clock and passed to Berg who drew a foul going up for a layup. She made both free throws, increasing the Rambler lead to 15-8 at the end of the quarter.
The second quarter started with a three minute scoring drought lasting until Milwaukee’s second-year guard Kamy Peppler made a layup through a tough defensive effort from Hodge-Carr.
Peppler and Nead worked together to even the score at 16, sending both teams into an official timeout with just under five minutes left in the quarter.
The lead changed back and forth with four points from Tanin, two points from fourth-year forward Grace Crowley and Galanopoulos and three-pointers from Nead and first-year forward Jorey Buwalda. Milwaukee ended the half ahead 24-22.
The third quarter started with a shorter scoring drought that was broken by a second chance jump shot by Nead. The Ramblers’ first points of the third quarter were credited to Fisher off a layup.
The two teams maintained a repetitive pace with third-year guard Angie Cera, Berg, Nead and Tanin all hitting their respective attempts, making the score 33-29.
Loyola’s experienced ball-movement skills were displayed when all five Ramblers on the court got their hands on the ball before second-year guard Mallory Ramage missed her shot attempt. Ramage made up for her miss at the line and added two to the Ramblers’ score, bringing them within six.
A rebound off Cera’s miss gave Berg the opportunity to assist Galanopoulos on a driving layup. Emma Nolan made a three for the Ramblers and Fisher threw up a half-court shot at the buzzer, now only trailing Milwaukee by one going into the fourth quarter.
Loyola regained the lead when Galanopoulos drove through the Panther defense to drop in a layup. Fisher repeated Galanopoulos’ actions and got fouled in the process, sending her to the line and making an extra point on an and-one for Loyola.
Loyola went into an official timeout up by five then added five more in two minutes to lead Milwaukee by 10. Berg, Fisher and Hodge-Carr all contributed with their defensive and offensive skills.
Milwaukee tried to creep up to the Loyola lead with a three from Donaldson and a second chance made by Buwalda but the Ramblers kept pushing, setting Berg up for two more free throws.
Tanin made a rebound and helped Fisher when her jumper attempt was missed and Berg earned another trip to the line, sinking both. Nead rebounded from Peppler and Hodge-Carr sent in a jumper with a second on the shot clock, increasing Loyola’s lead to 58-47.
Moore solidified the Rambler win after making two on a trip to the line. First-year guard Audrey Deptula ran out the clock after a defensive rebound before celebrating with the team.
Head coach Allison Guth said the team’s defensive efforts were strong and added she was proud they kept the Panthers to only 47 points.
“They average close to 70 a game,” Guth said. “So that 47 was absolutely a fantastic defensive effort by our team. We didn’t let a defensive effort be linked to some poor shooting performance. So we were really, really proud of our team.”
The Ramblers will play next at home against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville at 11 a.m. Monday, Dec. 18. The game can be streamed on ESPN+.
Featured image by Holden Green | The Phoenix
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