CHICAGO, ILL.- The Western Michigan women's basketball team closed out the 2019 portion of the season and its non-conference schedule with a 70-60 victory over Loyola University Chicago on Monday, Dec. 30 at Gentile Arena in Chicago.

The Ramblers previously held a 9-1 record on the season with their sole loss coming against No. 16 DePaul. The Broncos held Loyola to its lowest-scoring game of the season and largest losing margin since March 2019.

Jordan Walker was the leading scorer Monday evening with 21 points, seven rebounds and two steals. The redshirt sophomore shot 8-for-15 from the field with two three-pointers made.

The Bronco starting five continued to dominate as redshirt senior Breanna Mobley earned her 38^th career double-double, eighth of the season, notching 11 points and 14 rebounds, one shy of a season-high.Leighah-Amori Wool tallied ten points with a team-high five assists, while senior Kamrin Reed scored 11 points off five-for-nine shooting and three made shots beyond the arc, her fourth game of the season with three or more three-point shots made.

As a team, the Broncos notched a 35 rebounds, four blocks, and nine steals with 18 points scored off Loyola turnovers. WMU went 24-for-59 from the field and shot 68.4 percent from the charity stripe, staying strong on defense with just ten turnovers to Loyola's 15.

Western Michigan's offense was strong from the start as the Broncos took off on an 11-0 run, holding Loyola scoreless for the seven minutes of the first quarter. Reed started the game with a three and Walker charged ahead with six points in the frame. Mobley pulled down eight rebounds with four points as WMU held the Ramblers to just four points to start out the contest with a 17-4 lead.

The Broncos continued their hot streak into the second quarter, outscoring Loyola 19-15. Freshman Sydney Shafer came off the bench to shoot two-for-two at the line, quickly followed by more bench points as Maddie Watters scored off a corner three, sending WMU on an eventual 10-3 scoring run to force a Loyola timeout. Walker and Reed shot back-to-back threes halfway through the frame, but the Ramblers bit back to end the quarter with seven straight points. The Brown & Gold scored 14 points off Loyola turnovers in the half and shot 43.8 percent from the field, their largest lead coming with three minutes to play as they charged ahead by 24 points.

The Ramblers came out of the locker room ready to play, setting off on a 12-7 scoring run before Mobley snapped the streak with a layup to earn a double-double. Wool hit another three to force a timeout and hold Loyola to a 14-point deficit. Reilly Jacobson came off the bench to score her first three-pointer as a Bronco on the way to the Brown & Gold hitting five threes in the third stanza.

Despite Loyola outscoring Western Michigan 17-15 in the final frame, WMU pulled off the win with strong shooting from the charity stripe and another handful of points from Mobley and Walker. In the fourth quarter alone the Broncos made seven-of-seven at the line. Loyola tried for the comeback with five minutes left to play, heading on a 12-0 scoring run to bring them within three points of WMU. Walker saved the day with an and-one to put the Broncos up by six as they finished off the game with a few more free shots to earn the win, 70-60.

The Broncos, now 7-4 overall, head into conference play with their best start since the 2017-18 season. Western Michigan hosts its first game since December 14 to open the MAC regular season against Toledo University. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. inside University Arena on Saturday, Jan. 4.