Northwestern
Loyola Chicago
'Cats Make Short Trip South, Battle Loyola Chicago Tuesday
11/25/2024 12:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Northwestern looks to avenge 73-68 setback to Ramblers last season
LAST TIME OUT
Northwestern committed 18 turnovers and shot only 35 percent from the field as it dropped a 75-50 decision to visiting Harvard this past Saturday at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Caileigh Walsh paced Northwestern in the defeat, finishing with a team-high 13 points. Walsh, who also recorded a block and came away with a pair of steals, sits just 19 points shy of 1,000 for her collegiate career.
Taylor Williams was active at both ends of the floor, closing her day with nine points, five rebounds, and two blocks. Casey Harter led Northwestern from beyond the three-point arc, knocking down a pair of triples as part of an eight-point effort.
SCOUTING LOYOLA CHICAGO
Loyola Chicago enters Tuesday's tilt sitting at 4-2 after a 66-60 setback on the road at Eastern Illinois last Saturday. Piloted by third-year head coach Allison Guth, who served as an assistant coach with the 'Cats from 2013-15, Loyola is coming off a 15-16 (8-10 A-10) finish last season. The Ramblers were picked ninth in the Atlantic 10 Conference Preseason Poll.
Loyola returns five letterwinners from last season, a group that includes a pair of starters in Sitori Tanin and Kika Hodge-Carr.
Guth's team boasts a balanced attack, with Naelle Bernard (10.3 ppg), Kira Chivers (10.2 ppg), and Jess Finney (10.0 ppg) all averaging in double figures in scoring. Finney, a transfer from San Diego, put up 19 points, the top single-game output by a Rambler this season, in a 76-60 win over West Georgia on November 9, while Bernard, a Duquesne transfer, finished with 18 points in Loyola's last appearance at home on November 19, an 80-72 triumph against Valparaiso.
SERIES STUFF
Tuesday's matchup will be the 27th installment of the rivalry between the 'Cats and Ramblers, a series Northwestern leads, 25-1 (.961). Loyola's lone win in the series came last season when the Ramblers escaped Welsh-Ryan Arena with a 73-68 on November 23.
Northwestern will be making its first visit to Gentile Arena since December 13, 2015 when, behind a game-high 25 points from Christen Inman, the Wildcats picked up an 81-72 victory. Current Northwestern assistant coach Maggie Lyon joined Inman in double figures in the contest, finishing with 15 points.
UP NEXT
Northwestern is back home at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Sunday, December 1 to battle Cornell at 1 p.m.
