EVANSTON, Ill. (Interstat) — Loyola Chicago escaped with a 69-68 victory over Northwestern in a nonconference women’s basketball game Thursday afternoon at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Ramblers held off a furious fourth-quarter rally by the Wildcats, who outscored them 22-13 in the final period but fell just short.

Tayla Thomas led all scorers with 30 points for Northwestern. Alex-Anne Bessette paced Loyola Chicago with 22 points, and Brooklyn Vaughn added 19. The Ramblers improved to 4-7, while the Wildcats fell to 6-5 before an announced crowd of 3,102.