CHICAGO — The Chicago State women's basketball team (0-4) fell on Saturday afternoon, 71-59, against the Loyola Chicago.
"We have to stay in the fight," head coach Tiffany Sardin said. "We have to clean up some of the mental mistakes we're making and continue to be aggressive on defense, but without fouling."
Returning guard Ana Haklicka scored a season-high 13 points and freshman Aaliyah Collins dropped in 12, adding four steals, but the Ramblers, who shot 62 percent from the floor, closed strong for their second win.
"Ana is tough," Sardin said, "She's battling through some things, but I'm glad she stepped up and was ready. That's what we ask from our women: to be ready."
The Cougars exhibited tenacious defensive pressure and racked up a season-high 15 steals, forcing 24 Loyola turnovers.
In the first quarter, the Ramblers came out hot with a 6-0 run keyed by returners Bre Hampton-Bey and Allison Day.
But then the Cougars unleashed their own run, bouncing back with a 16-8 stretch in which Haklicka, Collins, Christina Britter, Kyjai Miles, Jazmine Covington, Janiah Newell all scored buckets to give the Cougars a 16-14 lead at the end of the first. During the stretch, the Cougars forced three steals to enter the second quarter on top.
But the Ramblers quickly retook the lead with a 6-0 run on two three-pointers, one from Janae Gonzales and one from Maya Chandler, forcing another Chicago State timeout with the score 20-16.
Coming out of the timeout, the Cougars finally opened up their second quarter scoring on a jumper by Newell. On the next possession, she was fouled and converted a free throw to pull the Cougars within a point.
Chicago State and Loyola then battled sharply back and forth to the halftime break. After not scoring in the first three games, Haklicka steered the ship, scoring a few more buckets as CSU trailed, 37-30, at the break.
In the third quarter, the Cougars opened up the scoring first with a beautiful drive to the basket by Collins, who led the team in scoring in each of the first three games. The Ramblers answered right back, however, with a three from Hampton-Bay followed by yet another score on a layup, giving Loyola a 10-point lead at 42-32.
Chicago State then went on a rampage of their own with an 11-2 scoring run featuring five points from Haklicka. The guard-duo of Newell and Collins also scored six, with the Cougars pulling to within one at 44-43. Collins continued to lead a hard-pressing CSU defense.
"Aaliyah is always going to fight," Sardin said. "It's the same as what we've seen from her, and we just have to keep building with her."
But again, the hot-shooting Ramblers answered back with an identical scoring run, which gave Loyola a ten point lead to end the third at 55-45.
In a foul-filled fourth quarter, the Ramblers continued to roll behind Kaylen Evans. The Cougars competed to the end but watched as Loyola cruised to a 71-59 victory.
The Cougars next face Wisconsin on Monday at 6:30 p.m. in Madison, Wisconsin.
About Chicago State
Chicago State University Athletics is comprised of 15 intercollegiate teams involving over 150 student-athletes that compete in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and volleyball. CSU held memberships in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and NCAA Division II before transitioning to NCAA Division I in 1994. Melvin Bland was the first CSU student-athlete to gain NAIA All-American status in 1974 as a wrestler. Fred Evans became the first black swimmer ever to win a national championship in 1975. CSU's women's basketball team earned a spot in the 2011 Women's Basketball Invitational and CSU's men's basketball team won the 2013 Great West Conference Tournament title and made an appearance in the CollegeInside.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). The Men's Outdoor Track & Field 4x100-Meter Relay team were 2019 Honorable Mention All-Americans and WAC Champions. Their feat marked the first time the Chicago State's men's track & field program was represented at the national meet.
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