No. 12 #B1GCats Edge Ramblers, 81-72

12/13/2015 3:58:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

CHICAGO, Ill. - Junior Christen Inman led the Wildcats with 25 points as Northwestern (9-0, 0-0 B1G) edged crosstown rival Loyola (2-6, 0-0 MVC) 81-72 on Sunday afternoon at Gentile Arena.

Inman led a quartet of Wildcats in double figures as senior Maggie Lyon poured in 15 points, while juniors Nia Coffey and Ashley Deary contributed 12 points apiece. Coffey and Deary saw limited third-quarter action due to foul trouble.

Loyola opened scoring with a layup just seconds into the game, but both teams struggled out of the gates. The Wildcats were held without a bucket for three minutes before an Inman layup put NU in the scoring column. The teams exchanged baskets down the stretch in the first quarter and closed out the frame leveled, 12-12.

The teams continued to battle blow for blow, but it was Loyola that entered the halftime break with the advantage, 34-30.

The resilient Wildcats came back fighting in the second half. NU opened the third quarter with back-to-back triples to take back control of the game and built up a six-point lead with two minutes left in the frame. The Ramblers, however, used a 7-2 surge at the end of the stanza to level the game once again, 55-55.

With 7:43 left in regulation, Chicago's Big Ten Team strung together a 10-0 run, highlighted by an Inman 3-pointer, for a double-digit lead. Loyola cut the deficit to eight points with two minutes left to play, but that is the closest it would come for the remainder of the game.

Northwestern connected on 40 percent (25-63) of its shots, including 35 percent (7-20) from 3-point range and 80 percent (24-20) from the charity stripe. Loyola shot 53 percent (29-55) from the floor, 38 percent (3-8) from beyond the arc and 55 percent (11-20) from the free-throw line. The Ramblers won the rebounding battle, 40-30.

The Wildcats return to action on Tuesday, Dec. 15, for an 11 a.m., matchup against Alcorn State on Field Trip Day.