CHICAGO – In a game that came down to the final seconds, the Saint Louis University women's basketball dropped a hard-fought road battle, here, Wednesday night, falling to Loyola Chicago (7-6), 74-72.

The loss moves the team to 5-10 on the year and 0-2 in Atlantic 10 Conference play.

The Billikens got off to a slow start to begin their two-game road trip, giving up an early 11-2 lead to the home team off a 7-0 Rambler run. After the first media timeout, the visiting Billikens found life, scoring 10 unanswered points capped by a three-pointer from Camreé Clegg to take a one-point lead, 12-11. At the end of the first period, SLU trailed by one, shooting 54 percent from the floor while giving up 67 percent shooting to the home team.

The Ramblers scored first to start the second period, but a made layup and drawn foul by Julia Martinez tied the teams at 19, apiece after the senior completed the three-point play. Brooklyn Gray found her stride in the ensuing minutes putting up four early points to help give the Billikens a 25-19 lead. A make from beyond the arc from the Ramblers diminished the Billikens lead, but threes from Peyton Kennedy and Kyla McMakin to end the half, gave visitors the 40-33 advantage going into the break.

Out of the locker rooms, a 4-0 run from the Ramblers cut into the Billikens lead, but a pair of threes from Gray and McMakin ended the run. Three straight Rambler scores in the paint tied the teams at 51, apiece, but their third made three of the night gave them the 54-53 advantage.

Heading into the fourth quarter, the Billikens found themselves in a one-point deficit, and two straight threes from Loyola Chicago accentuated it. The teams traded scores before a gut punch from beyond the arc put the Ramblers up by one (73-72) with seconds remaining. The Billikens would not go down easy, though, as strong defensive play forced a turnover and gave them one final chance to take their first A-10 victory of the season. But the shots did not fall for the visitors in the Windy City, and SLU dropped the hard-fought road battle by two.

Off the bench, Gray led SLU with 19 points while Martinez (12) and McMakin (11) also reached double digits. Martinez recorded a double-double on the night, tallying 13 assists while adding seven rebounds. Tierra Simon pulled down 14 boards to lead the team.

The Billikens continue their road trip on Saturday afternoon when they travel to Amherst, Mass., to take on UMass at noon.