The Bradley women’s basketball team fell on the road on Saturday to Loyola-Chicago, 56-41, for their second loss in a row.
What:
Bradley battled early on, trading baskets and leads with Loyola. It was the Tatum Koenig show early on as she led the Braves with 10 points at the half.
The Braves dropped their second straight game and their eleventh conference game of the year. Loyola snapped a three game losing streak with the victory.
Who:
Koenig led the way for the entire day, finishing with 15 points in 38 minutes, marking her ninth straight game of scoring double digit points. The senior finished 6-16 shooting on the day, knocking down three shots from behind the arc.
Freshman guard Caroline Waite continued to impress, with 13 points in 36 minutes while scoring from all parts of the floor. The Braves only received two points off the bench, as the Ramblers won the bench points battle 31-2.
Riley Blackwell led the Ramblers in scoring with 15 points off the bench on 5-9 shooting, making three shots from behind the arc. Blackwell scored all of her points in just 19 minutes of play.
It was a cold shooting day for both teams, with Bradley shooting 25% from the field to the 33% by Loyola. The Braves were 6-7 from the free throw line, but were outshot and scored at the free throw line by the Ramblers. Loyola was a perfect 11-11 from the charity stripe.
When:
Bradley managed to keep the game close in the first half, trailing by three after one quarter and four at the halftime break. A big reason for the close score was Bradley’s ability to force Loyola into turnovers and creating points off those turnovers.
With the Braves trailing closely 29-23 at the half, Loyola flipped the script in the second half to separate themselves from Bradley.
The Ramblers doubled up on the Braves in the third quarter, outscoring them 22-11, thanks to 13 of Blackwell’s 15 points.
For the Braves, Waite scored eight of her 13 total points in the second half to pace the team.
Where:
This was the Braves’ final trip to Gentile Arena for an MVC game. With Loyola leaving the Valley after the season, this could be the final trip for quite some time for Bradley to play the Ramblers.
Why:
Head coach Andrea Gorski on Tatum Koenig’s hot stretch: “Tatum has taken her game to the next level. When you talk about confidence, Tatum is really believing in herself and her abilities. I can’t ask for much more out of her, because she is playing out of her mind lately.”
Gorski on Waite’s offensive versatility: “Caroline is a scorer and has the scorer mentality. With everyone forcing her off the three-point line, it has made it tough for her to get shots off, so she has had to find other ways to create shots for herself.”
Gorski on the team’s willingness to never give up: “This is a great group and they are unbelievable. They are one of the most coachable groups I have ever had; they are young, and they have to get through the fatigue of this season. Every game is super important for us because the league has a lot of seniors and super seniors, and for us to have experience coming back next season from young players will be big.”
