Ramblers Drop to Fordham 68-53 in Crohn’s Disease Cause Game

The Loyola women’s basketball team fell to Fordham University 68-53 in Gentile Arena Jan. 12. The Rams’ graduate guard Taylor Donaldson led all scorers with 17 points, while third-year guard and forward Emma Theodorsson led the Ramblers scoring 15 for the second consecutive game.

Despite both teams squandering initial possessions, Fordham quickly jumped ahead with back-to-back scores, a putback layup from third-year forward Emma Wilson-Saltos and a fastbreak layup by fourth-year guard Taya Davis.

Theordorsson put the Ramblers on the board with a layup, but Fordham responded with a nine-point run, bolstered by a 3-pointer from third-year guard Chaé Harris and two layups from graduate forward Irene Murua to make it 11-2.

Loyola retaliated in kind, scoring 13 unanswered to take their first lead of the night. In on the action was graduate forward Sitori Tanin with two layups, fourth-year guard Jess Finney with a 3-pointer alongside two additional two-point jump shots and an extra layup from third-year guard Kira Chivers.

Following the Loyola run, the Rams ended the first quarter tied at 15 as Harris converted a fastbreak layup and Davis hit a buzzer-beating jumpshot inside the paint.

A layup and lone free throw from Theodorsson gave the Ramblers a slim 18-17 lead before an early media timeout was called. Donaldson gave the Rams a point and Finney scored another layup to give the Ramblers a two-point cushion.

The sides sustained a back-and-forth, with first-year guard Alexa Kinas scoring six points with a jump shot, layup and two free throws. On the opposite side, three layups from Murua along with jumpers from Harris and third-year forward Kayla Berry ended the exchange with Fordham ahead 28-27.

With just over a minute left until halftime, Davis recorded four points in two straight offensive possessions to give the Rams a five-point advantage.

Donaldson extended the gap between the sides, with a jumpshot and a 3-pointer to make the score 37-27 two minutes into the third quarter. A layup from Davis was negated by a Theodorsson three, keeping the lead just below 10.

Graduate guard Thoranna Kika Hodge-Carr finished a layup, graduate guard Naelle Bernard drained a 3-pointer and Tanin hit a jump shot, as a shot from Harris and a layup from Wilson-Saltos made it a 43-37 Fordham lead.

Both team’s next two scoring possessions composed of free throws — Berry and Harris with two each and Theodorsson with four. The third quarter closed after a brief drought as Murua capitalized on a three-point play for a 50-49 Fordham lead.

Donaldson and Bernard were the lone scorers in the first four minutes of fourth-quarter action. Donaldson hit three 3-pointers in three straight attempts, while Bernard managed a three of her own alongside two free throws.

A jumper from Theodorsson made it 59-48, but back-to-back layups from first-year Karissa Antoine and Wilson-Saltos gave Fordham a 15-point advantage to build on. A minute later, Wilson-Saltos recorded a lone free throw and Donaldson added a jumper.

Kinas had a successful trip to the line to break the 50-point mark for Loyola, but a jumper from Harris iced the game 68-50 with just under three minutes left. A free throw from Theodorrson and a layup from first-year guard Kendall Hendrix were the final scoring plays of the night. 

During the loss, Loyola recorded a large number of turnovers, a sore point for head coach Allison Guth.

“We’re very disappointed with our performance in this one,” Guth said. “From a mental execution standpoint, we turned the ball over 20 times. At halftime, we had 10 assists and felt like we were making some good decisions despite the turnover issues. However, we came out in the third quarter and didn’t value the possession again.”

With the loss, the Ramblers turn their attention to George Mason University, where they’ll travel to Fairfax, VA. Jan. 15. The game is set for a 6 p.m. start and can be streamed on ESPN+.