ST. LOUIS – Saint Louis earned a 47-35 rebounding advantage, including a season-high 25 offensive rebounds, but Loyola Chicago escaped Chaifetz Arena with a 60-47 victory Wednesday night in the Atlantic 10 Conference opener for both teams.
Julia Martinez led all players with a season-high 13 rebounds that included a career-high-tying eight offensive boards.
Mia Nicastro collected a career-high eight rebounds and matched her career best of four offensive caroms, while
Peyton Kennedy equaled her career high of five offensive rebounds among her six total.
"Our offensive rebounding was really special," head coach
Rebecca Tillett said. "I love that we forced them into 20 turnovers. I think they probably took more 3's than they wanted."
Martinez also contributed a game-high five steals, her sixth game with four or more steals this season.
"Kennedy (Calhoun) does a really good job pressuring the ball, and then I'm just the one there getting the passes," Martinez said. "I think it's just an energy overall throughout the whole team. I just try to do my best to get the ball, push in transition and look for someone."
Kyla McMakin tallied a game-high 16 points. McMakin was 8-of-8 from the free throw line, tying her season high for free throws made.
Briana Johns' six points included career bests of four free throws made and four attempts.
"I was just trying to drive, create something and get to the basket as much as possible," McMakin said. "I think free throws help settle everybody down, trying to score with no time running off the clock helped us a lot.
"We had really good ball pressure and aggressiveness in the beginning of the game," McMakin said. "Loyola was getting turnovers on travels and making the wrong decisions. That was good for us because something we really want to do is to be a better defensive team."
Saint Louis jumped out to an 8-0 lead, scoring on four of its first six possessions, before Loyola finally broke the ice with a bucket at the 6:15 mark. The Ramblers held the Billikens to two points the rest of the quarter and scored on their final three touches of the period to forge a 10-10 deadlock at the buzzer.
The second quarter featured five lead changes. Loyola grabbed the first-half upper hand for good, 20-19, on two free throws with 3:16 left, triggering a 7-0 spurt that put the Ramblers on top 25-19. A McMakin basket with 57 seconds remaining made it a 25-21 Loyola edge at intermission.
SLU quickly pulled even at 25 on buckets by Martinez and McMakin early in the third quarter, but Loyola used a 14-6 run to go in front 39-31 with 2:40 left. McMakin went 6-of-6 from the foul line the rest of the quarter, which ended with Loyola holding a 44-37 advantage.
A 3-pointer on the initial fourth-quarter possession gave the Ramblers their first double-digit lead, and the Billikens drew no closer than nine points the rest of the way.
"One game has not defined this team at any point in the season thus far, and neither will this one," Tillett said. "Staying the course, teaching, building, learning from this, I think the next time we come out and we're faced with this kind of challenge offensively, we'll respond better."
Saint Louis plays at VCU Sunday, Jan. 1. Game time is noon central.
