CHICAGO (Interstat) — Alex-Anne Bessette scored 20 points to lead Loyola Chicago to a 71-64 women’s basketball victory over Saint Louis on Sunday at Joseph Gentile Center. The Ramblers used a 23-point second quarter to build a lead and closed with a 22-point fourth to hold off the Billikens. Bessette, from Quebec City, added six rebounds. Alyssa Koerkenmeier posted 14 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks for Saint Louis. The Billikens shot just 35.5% from the floor and were outscored 45-24 across the second and fourth quarters. Loyola Chicago improved to 6-10. Saint Louis fell to 8-10.

CHICAGO (Interstat) — In a game defined by defensive pressure and missed opportunities, the Loyola Chicago women’s basketball team secured a hard-fought 71-64 victory over Saint Louis on Sunday at Joseph Gentile Center. The win, powered by a game-high 20 points from Alex-Anne Bessette, improved the Ramblers to 6-10 on the season, while the Billikens fell to 8-10. The contest was a stark contrast in offensive efficiency. Loyola Chicago scored its 71 points on just 69 possessions, translating to an offensive rating of 102.2. Saint Louis, meanwhile, managed only 64 points from 71 possessions, an offensive rating of 90.0, hampered by 35.5% shooting from the field. Despite forcing 14 Rambler turnovers and converting them into 16 points, the Billikens could not overcome their own shooting woes or contain Bessette in key moments. The most pivotal sequence of the game unfolded in the final minute, transforming a narrow contest into a two-possession Loyola Chicago lead. With the Ramblers clinging to a 65-63 advantage and just over a minute to play, Saint Louis had a chance to tie or take the lead. Following a timeout, the Billikens’ Jahda Denis committed a critical turnover, her fifth of the game, stolen by Loyola Chicago’s Alexa Kinas. Kinas immediately converted the steal into a driving layup, pushing the lead to 67-63 with 1:04 remaining. Saint Louis, now in desperation mode, saw Denis miss a turnaround jumper on the ensuing possession. Loyola Chicago’s Roisin Grandberry secured the defensive rebound, was fouled, and calmly sank two free throws with one second left to seal the outcome at 71-64. This decisive four-point swing in under 30 seconds—from a potential game-tying possession for Saint Louis to a six-point Loyola Chicago cushion—proved insurmountable. Bessette, a 6-foot-2 forward from Quebec City, was the offensive catalyst for the Ramblers, adding six rebounds and two assists to her 20 points. Her performance inside helped Loyola Chicago match Saint Louis with 32 points in the paint. Kinas, from Kaukauna, Wisconsin, provided crucial support with 12 points, including the pivotal steal-and-score, along with two steals and a block. Saint Louis was led by a double-double from 6-foot-6 center Alyssa Koerkenmeier of Saint Rose, Illinois, who posted 14 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots. Zya Nugent of Denison, Texas, hauled in a game-high 13 rebounds for the Billikens. Denis finished with 13 points and four steals, but her seven turnovers, including the costly late-game error, underscored Saint Louis’s struggles with ball security against an active Loyola Chicago defense that recorded six steals. The Ramblers’ defensive effort was particularly evident in their work on the perimeter, holding Saint Louis to 6-of-23 shooting from three-point range. Offensively, Loyola Chicago was more disciplined, attempting 22 free throws and making 17, compared to Saint Louis’s 17 attempts and 14 makes. The Ramblers also won the assist battle, dishing out 12 to Loyola Chicago’s six, indicating more fluid ball movement. The result defied the pregame statistical projection from National Statistical’s ELO system, which had given Saint Louis a 59% probability of winning on the road. Instead, Loyola Chicago capitalized on its home court to even the season series ahead of the rematch scheduled for Jan. 24 in St. Louis. Both teams resume conference play Wednesday. Loyola Chicago travels to face George Mason, while Saint Louis visits La Salle.

CHICAGO (Interstat) — Two Atlantic 10 Conference women’s basketball teams seeking momentum will meet Sunday when the Saint Louis Billikens visit the Loyola Chicago Ramblers at Joseph Gentile Center. Saint Louis (8-9) enters having lost two straight, including a 50-39 home defeat to VCU on Wednesday. The Billikens’ offense has struggled in conference play, averaging just 47 points in those two losses. They will lean on forward Alyssa Koerkenmeier, who scored 11 points against VCU. Koerkenmeier has been a consistent presence, posting a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds in a win at Duquesne on Dec. 31 and scoring 25 points in a blowout victory over UHSP on Dec. 28. Loyola Chicago (5-10) snapped a three-game skid with a notable 71-68 road victory at Dayton on Wednesday. Guard Alexa Kinas led the way with 20 points in that win, continuing her run as the Ramblers’ primary scoring threat. Kinas has averaged 16.3 points over her last four games, including an 18-point performance against Davidson on Dec. 31. The matchup pits Saint Louis’s slightly better overall record against a Loyola Chicago team that has shown recent resilience. The Billikens will aim to jump-start their offense, which exploded for 132 points in a non-conference game late last month but has since cooled considerably. The Ramblers will look to build on their defensive effort at Dayton and secure a second consecutive conference win. This game is the first of two regular-season meetings between the programs this month. They are scheduled to play again in St. Louis on Saturday, Jan. 24. Sunday’s contest tips off a critical stretch for both teams as they navigate the conference schedule. Saint Louis visits La Salle next Wednesday, while Loyola Chicago travels to face George Mason on the same night.