DePaul Edges Ramblers at Loyola

CHICAGO- Prior to the start of Sunday’s game against the DePaul Blue Demons, the Loyola Ramblers women’s basketball team was 3-86 in its last 89 games when trailing at the half. Thanks to DePaul’s Deirdre Naughton, they are now 3-87.

Naughton scored 27 points to lead DePaul (7-2) to a 68-64 win over the Ramblers at the Gentile Center.

DePaul had its biggest lead of the game at 7-0 with 17:58 left in the first half. The Ramblers, led by the outside shooting of Maggie McCloskey and Keisha Collins, managed a 32-30 lead with 1:24 left. A three point field goal by Naughton with eleven seconds left gave DePaul a 33-32 lead at the break.

“Loyola played great ball and did a great job (in the first half),” said DePaul head coach Doug Bruno.

The Ramblers, who placed three players in double figures, kept pace with DePaul in the second half, knotting the score at 47 on a three-pointer by Collins with 11:27 left to play. Loyola then went on a 9-3 run and pulled ahead 56-50 at the 8:39 mark on another three by Collins. A three-point play by Loyola’s Lisa Samplawski as the shot clock expired gave the Ramblers their largest lead of the game at 59-52 with 6:47 left.

Naughton’s three point play with 5:19 remaining capped a 7-0 run by DePaul and tied the score at 59.

With DePaul leading 62-61 with 1:24 to play, the Demons’ Felicia Chester came up with a huge block of a Collins lay up attempt. Four free throws and a Naughton jumper iced the win for DePaul. McCloskey’s three pointer with three seconds remaining completed the scoring.

Natasha Williams had 15 points and six rebounds for DePaul.

DePaul’s bench was outscored 22-11.

McCloskey led Loyola with 17 points on 5-9 shooting from beyond the arc. Collins added 14 points for the Ramblers.

Loyola falls to 4-3. The Ramblers last beat DePaul in 1993, and have now lost 15 in a row to the Demons.

DePaul travels to Missouri State this Wednesday and then entertains Northwestern this Sunday.