CHICAGO – The Western Michigan University women's basketball team picked up its second win of the season on Sunday afternoon in a 58-45 victory over the Loyola Ramblers.

Sophomore guard Alli Harness had a breakout game for the Broncos on Sunday in the Windy City against Loyola. Harness set a new career-high in scoring, leading WMU with 13 points on the floor. For the fifth straight game, sophomore guard Kailey Starks ended the afternoon in double digits with 10 points. On defense the Brown and Gold relied on redshirt senior forward De'Ahna Richardson with nine board on her birthday.

The Broncos made the first basket of the game as junior guard Nile Muguiera had a driving layup. WMU's offense went quiet just after the first points, not scoring for over four minutes. The Brown and Gold's defense stayed strong during the scoreless streak, only letting Loyola score five points. Senior guard Alli Carlson broke the drought with two free throws at the line to get Western Michigan's offense back into the game. Over the final five minutes of the first frame, the Broncos outscored the Ramblers 10-5 for a four-point advantage.

Both teams struggled offensively to begin the second quarter as the first basket wasn't scored until over three minutes in. WMU's offense broke through first with a free throw. The first field goal scored of the second frame came at 5:32 as freshman guard Olivia Flynn scored her first points with the Brown and Gold on a triple.

Western Michigan grew its lead into double figures with just under three minutes to go in the half on an eight-point run. Loyola scored a trey of its own to cut into the Broncos lead. But WMU quickly bounced back as the Brown and Gold ended the first half on an eight-point run. Western Michigan's defense shutout Loyola for over two minutes to close out the half and take a 31-15 halftime lead.

The start to the second half was a back-and-forth affair as the teams almost went shot for shot. The Broncos had a brief four-point run thanks to a three from Muguira. WMU went up to its largest lead of the game midway through the third ahead 22 points of the Ramblers 45-23 after Harness had back-to-back treys.

The Brown and Gold struggled to score at the end of the quarter, not hitting a basket for just under four minutes. But Western Michigan's defense held strong, only allowing Loyola to score five points, similar to the first quarter. The Broncos got in a jumper in the final 10 seconds of the quarter to have a 49-30 lead going into the final frame.

The Ramblers began to get hot in the fourth quarter, keeping WMU from scoring in the first two minutes on a seven-point run. The Brown and Gold took advantage of a chance at the charity stripe to snap the Loyola run, not allowing another run for five minutes. Starks led Western Michigan on the floor through the final five minutes with two field goals. The Broncos added three points in the final minute at the line, sealing their 58-45 win.

WMU outshot the Ramblers by almost 10%, going 20-46 from the floor at a 43.5% clip. The Brown and Gold also grabbed more boards than Loyola, taking 36 rebound with 10 on the offensive glass. Western Michigan had a strong bench game with 17 points from its non-starters.

The Broncos return home following the conclusion of finals week. WMU will welcome the Valparaiso Beacons to University Arena on Sunday, Dec. 14. Tip-off against Valpo next week is set for 1:00 p.m. EST.