HENRICO, Va. -- With 24 seconds remaining, Thoranna Kika Hodge-Carr put up a shot through contact and her hoop-and-harm gave Loyola Chicago its first-ever Atlantic 10 Championship victory, advancing to the quarterfinals following a 53-52 victory over Fordham Thursday afternoon at the Henrico Sports & Events Center.
“I think my heart stopped when I passed it to her because I couldn’t breathe,” Loyola Chicago graduate guard Sam Galanopoulos admitted. “Kika is such a core of this team, she doesn’t say a lot but she’s going to do it. We were getting on her because we needed more from her, but after halftime she responded and she was huge. She had that bucket and free throw but defensively she’s tough. No one is going to get past Kika.”
This back-and-forth contest featured six tied and 14 lead changes.
The Ramblers were led by Alyssa Fisher’s 14 points and Atlantic 10 All-Conference Third Team selection Sam Galanaopoulos recorded 10 points of her own. Ali Berg grabbed 10 rebounds.
Loyola Chicago made all 11 of its free throws.
“I would like to congratulate Fordham on an unbelievable season,” Loyola Chicago coach Allison Guth stated. “Their momentum with this streak was fantastic. It’s a really exciting feeling to be up here in our first Atlantic 10 Championship victory. It was just a 40-minute battle. Toughness and grit is personified when you’re down but find ways to be effective. I’m so proud of this team. Survival was the first thing but now it’s how we can control the controllables.”
Fordham saw All-Conference Second Teamer Taylor Donaldson post a game-high 15 points and eight rebounds, while both Emy Hayford and Rose Nelson completed play with 12 points.
The Rams had a 19-4 edge in points off turnovers and a 41-37 edge in rebounding, but were undone by a 3-for-15 effort from the free throw line.
“Loyola is a well-coached team, they competed and hit shots down the stretch,” Fordham coach Bridgette Mitchell said. “I think it’s a challenge taking over a new program and putting together a new team. To have the wins we got this season, we earned. Our team coming back should be hungry for more.”
Fordham got off to a ferocious start as all of its starting five were able to positively contribute towards a 9-0 run.
The Rams were not only able to be vocal on both sides of the ball but also were opportunistic on the offensive boards, grabbing five before the first media stoppage, taking advantage of its height.
Loyola Chicago utilized the media timeout to make its run back, 12-2, specifically to regain the lead, doing so by being the aggressors defensively, transitioning into its attack and maintaining that edge.
The Ramblers took the lead into the quarter’s closing seconds before Fordham’s Matilda Flood’s individual effort stole the inbounds pass and led to an unguarded score. This allowed the Rams to take a 17-16 lead after 10 minutes of play.
Loyola Chicago rebounded at the beginning of the second quarter scoring seven of the first nine points, before Fordham responded with six consecutive points of its own.
The Rams received a first-half bench boost from Nelson, who sank all four of her shots from the field.
This first half proved to be a true back-and-forth affair as evidenced by 10 different lead changes.
When the dust settled Kira Chivers took a pass from Fisher laying the ball in just prior to the buzzer making the score 30-29 Ramblers at halftime.
Loyola Chicago struck first in the third quarter with Berg connecting for a three-point basket, however Fordham came back with seven unanswered points, an advantage Fisher erased completely with a three pointer of her own.
Despite Hayford picking up her third foul in the quarter, Fordham’s defense dug in and held the Ramblers without a field goal for the final 5:48, taking a 44-42 lead into the fourth stanza.
Loyola Chicago continued to unsuccessfully hunt for a basket, extending its scoreless streak for over nine minutes, but with Hayford remaining on the bench, the Ramblers turned up the defensive intensity. The Ramblers would go scoreless for 11:12 of game action but remained in the fight. Berg broke the extended skid when Galanopoulos found her for a three-point shot.
Another basket would bring the teams to within one as Hayford returned to the court. Down by three, Fisher found an opening to tie the game.
Fordham had an opportunity to make free throws but missed all four attempts. Instead, Hodge-Carr was rewarded for her tenacity with the game-winning and and-one play as Hayford committed her fifth foul.
A series of jump balls down the stretch saw Fordham have a chance to go ahead with 9.5 seconds remaining in regulation. The Rams had two good looks at the basket, but neither fell.
“I’ve never made it past the first round at Loyola and I wouldn’t have wanted to advance with any other team, any other staff, or any other athletic department,” concluded Galanopoulos. “You’ve seen all of the hard work we’ve put in, it hasn’t always gone our way but today we had everybody on our side and you saw it on the court.”
The Ramblers advance to the Atlantic 10 Championship Quarterfinals where it will meet top-seeded Richmond.