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CHICAGO – The Loyola University Chicago women’s basketball team aims for a fifth-straight win as the group travels to the Big Apple to face Fordham this Wednesday (Feb. 4). Tip-off at Rose Hill Gymnasium is set for 5 p.m. CT on ESPN+.

QUICK HITS


The Maroon and Gold enter Wednesday following a 60-52 win over St. Bonaventure at Gentile Arena this past Saturday.
Alex-Anne Bessette scored a game-high 18 points and added three assists to lead the Ramblers (10-11, 6-4 Atlantic 10).
Alexa Kinas contributed six points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals, while Alexus Mobley finished with seven points and a team-high three steals.
Loyola Chicago’s only Atlantic 10 losses have come against the league’s top four teams: Rhode Island (first), George Mason (second), Richmond (third) and Davidson (fourth).
Loyola has already surpassed last season’s Atlantic 10 win total with six league victories. The program’s high under coach Allison Guth is eight A-10 wins, achieved in 2023-24.
One of the hottest teams in the Atlantic 10, the Ramblers have won six of their last seven games.
A win would break Guth’s longest winning streak at Loyola, which is five games
Loyola Chicago is 5-3 when three players score in double figures and 3-0 when the team scores 70 or more points.
LUC has had a better 3-point percentage than its foes in the last six games. On Jan. 24 against Saint Louis, Loyola limited the Billikens to a measly 9.1 percentage behind the arc. 
Bessette ranks 15th in the league in scoring at 12.7 points per game. She is second among freshmen, trailing only Duquesne’s Alexis Bordas (15.2).
The ‘Blers are 8-0 when leading at the half.

2025-26 RAMBLER BITES


The Ramblers aim to improve on last season’s 13-17 ledger as Head Coach Allison Guth enters her fourth season at the helm.
Guth compiled a 34–57 record over her first three seasons at LUC and enters 2025–26 with a 133–131 career mark after beginning her head-coaching tenure at Yale.
Loyola Chicago returns eight letterwinners from the 204-25 roster. Additionally, Guth added five newcomers during the offseason.
Over the summer, former Ramblers Thoranna Kika Hodge-Carr (Valur Körfubolti) and Naelle Bernard (AS Aulnoye Basket) signed professional contracts overseas.
Six Ramblers have turned professional under Head Coach Allison Guth.
Since 2010, nine Ramblers have gone on to sign professional contracts: Hodge-Carr, Bernard, Sitori Tanin, Sam Galanopoulos, Emma Nolan, Sophia Nolan, Troy Hambric, Taylor Manuel, Bre Hampton-Bey, and Allison Day.

SCOUTING FORDHAM


Head Coach Bridgette Mitchell is 36-45 (.444) in three seasons at FU. She holds a career ledger of 69-75 (.479).
This season, the Rams are 9-13 overall and 1-10 in A-10 play.
Last time out, Fordham fell, 61-47, to league-leading Rhode Island at home.
Appalachian State transfer Alexis Black leads the team in scoring at 18.4 points per game. She scored 42 points against Seton Hall, the second-highest single-game total in the Atlantic 10 this season.
She also leads Fordham in assists (3.8).
Emma Wilson-Saltos leads on the glass with 5.7 rebounds per game.

ALL-TIME AGAINST FORDHAM


The all-time series with Fordham is tied, 2-2.
Last season, Loyola fell, 68-53, to FU at home.
The two teams met twice in 2023-24 with each matchup going Loyola’s way.
In the second round of the 2023-24 Atlantic 10 Championship, No. 8 Loyola Chicago defeated No. 9 Fordham 53-52 to advance to the quarterfinals, marking the Ramblers’ only A-10 Championship win.

LAST TIME OUT


Loyola Chicago erased a two-point deficit entering the fourth quarter and pulled away late for a 60-52 victory over St. Bonaventure on Saturday at Gentile Arena. Alex-Anne Bessette scored a game-high 18 points to lead the Ramblers (10-11, 6-4 Atlantic 10), who outscored the Bonnies 21-11 in the final period to secure their fourth straight win, matching the longest streak of the Allison Guth era. Loyola finished with 16 assists on 23 made field goals and forced 17 turnovers, turning defense into key late-game offense. Alexa Kinas added six points, six rebounds and four assists, while Alexus Mobley contributed seven points and a team-high three steals.

ATLANTIC 10 PRESEASON POLL


Richmond is the preseason favorite to win the 2025-26 Atlantic 10 Women’s Basketball title, topping the coaches’ poll for a second straight year. The Spiders return All-A-10 stars Maggie Doogan and Rachel Ullstrom after a 28-7 season and their first NCAA Tournament win.
George Mason ranks second, followed by Davidson, Rhode Island, and Dayton. Saint Joseph’s, VCU, Duquesne, Saint Louis, and George Washington complete the top 10. Fordham, La Salle, Loyola Chicago, and St. Bonaventure round out the poll.
Doogan, Ullstrom, George Mason’s Zahirah Walton and Kennedy Harris, and VCU’s Mary-Anna Asare headline the Preseason All-Conference First Team.

RETURNING RAMBLERS


Loyola Chicago returns eight from the 2024-25 roster: Yasmyn Palmer, Roisin Grandberry, Alexa Kinas, Audrey Deptula, Rosalie Mercille, Kendall Hendrix, Kira Chivers, and Brooklyn Vaughn.
Key returners include senior point guard Kira Chivers who started 25 of 28 games in 2024–25, leading Loyola in steals per game (1.1) and ranking 16th in the A-10 in assists (2.9), with the league’s 10th-best assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3). She scored in double figures six times, highlighted by a career-high 17 points and five rebounds vs. Northwestern, and delivered a season-best seven assists at Eastern Illinois.
Another key returner, junior guard Rosalie Mercille, appeared in 20 games in 2024–25, returning from injury to contribute nine points in the Senior Day win vs. Saint Louis. She posted double-digit scoring twice, including 11 points at Eastern Illinois, and matched a season-high four rebounds three times. Mercille also recorded three assists in three straight games early in the season.
Point guard Alexa Kinas played in 28 games with five starts as a freshman in 2024–25, logging the most minutes among Loyola newcomers. She shot .443 from the field, finishing second on the team in FG percentage, and tied for second in steals (29). Kinas scored seven points in her debut, posted a season-high 15 points vs. Richmond, and grabbed a season-best six rebounds twice.

FRESH FACES


Alex-Anne Bessette is a three-time All-Canadian and AmeriCup silver medalist who helped Team Canada to silver at the 2024 FIBA U18 Women’s Americas Championship. The 6-foot-2 Quebec City native led her prep team to the 2025 OSBA title and earned Second Team All-Star honors. She played on the elite Kia Nurse EYBL circuit.
Alexus Mobley arrives as a graduate transfer from Akron after two seasons with the Zips and two at Danville Community College. The Indianapolis native started 38 games at Akron, averaging 9.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. She recorded career highs of 30 points and 17 rebounds during the 2024-25 season.
Daniella Matus is a 1,000-point scorer who averaged 12.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in her final season at Morris Catholic. She helped St. John Vianney win a fourth straight Shore Conference Tournament title and reach the NJSIAA semifinals. Matus earned Morris County Tournament MVP honors, All-Tournament recognition at the John Wall National Christmas Tournament, and multiple all-conference awards, including NJAC First Team. She starred for Team Sharp on the AAU circuit and was a 2025 McDonald’s All American Game nominee.
Nevaeh Dickman is a 6-foot power forward from Fishers, Ind., rated a three-star prospect by 247Sports and ranked No. 6 in Indiana. She earned multiple all-state honors, including IBCA Senior Large School All-State, and HCC First Team All-Conference recognition.
Clara Djoko, a 6-foot forward from Entzheim, France, transfers from UC Irvine, where she appeared in 55 games over two seasons. She contributed across the stat sheet, highlighted by games with four rebounds at Cal State Bakersfield and three steals in consecutive contests as a freshman.
Assistant Coach Jasmyne Fogle joins Loyola after roles at Quinnipiac, Putnam Science Academy, and Iona. At Quinnipiac, she led operations, travel, logistics, video, marketing, and student support for three seasons. She previously assisted with coaching, recruiting, and academics at Putnam Science Academy and served as a graduate assistant at Iona. Fogle played collegiately at Franklin Pierce and Post University, earning All-CACC honors in 2018 before completing graduate degrees from Post and Iona.
Assistant Coach Alyssa Fisher returns to Loyola after beginning her coaching career at Dartmouth, where she helped mentor an All-Ivy performer. As a Rambler in 2023–24, she led the team in threes, free throws, and steals while averaging 13.5 points per game, earning a selection to the WBCA So You Want To Be A Coach program. Fisher previously earned dual bachelor’s degrees at St. Francis Brooklyn and an MBA at Loyola.
Assistant Coach Adam Call arrives from George Washington following a four-year stint that included multiple A-10 Championship wins and development of all-conference and all-defensive selections. His 17-year coaching career includes stops at Eastern Michigan, Stony Brook, Washington, Northwestern, TCU, and Oklahoma, where he contributed to several postseason runs. He holds degrees from Oklahoma and TCU.

BUY TICKETS NOW!
Catch every women’s basketball game at Gentile Arena with a season ticket package! Season ticket options include reserved courtside seating for $180/seat and general admission seating for $81/seat. Single-game tickets are $10 each.

Courtside season tickets are the only reserved seats available. Courtside seats are located across from the team benches in front of Sections 108 and 110. The online system will automatically place you in the best courtside seats available. Please contact the Loyola ticket office at (773) 508-9653 to discuss specific seat locations. Click here to purchase. 

SOCIAL BUZZ

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