Loyola of Chicago wing Abby O’Connor announces she is transferring to Gonzaga

Abby O’Connor, a 6-foot wing who led Loyola University of Chicago in scoring and rebounding the past two seasons, announced she is transferring to Gonzaga.

“Excited to be joining Gonzaga WBB!” O’Connor posted on Twitter Friday night.

O’Connor played for the Ramblers the last three seasons, which means she must sit out next season. She would be among the top candidates to succeed West Coast Conference Most Valuable Player Jill Townsend, who graduates next year.

O’Connor is the third player and first transfer committed to GU in the last month. The Zags have commits from freshmen Esther Little, a 6-2 wing from Ipswich, Great Britain, and Payton Muma, a 5-8 point guard from Colorado.

O’Connor is coming off a solid junior year in which she averaged 12.3 points and eight rebounds while playing almost 33 minutes per game.

Those numbers are down from a breakout sophomore season in 2018-19, when O’Connor started all 31 games and averaged 14.6 points, 7.6 boards and 1.6 blocks.

In a game against DePaul that year, O’Connor finished with 31 points, eight rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal.

That helped her earn All-Missouri Valley Conference first-team honors. O’Connor was an honorable mention All-MVC pick this year.

The South Bend, Indiana, native is also the third player to leave the Loyola program this year.

Senior guard Jazmine Covington left for personal reasons before the season began and sophomore guard Maya Dunson quit midyear.

Gonzaga will have room to offer more scholarships as the Zags graduate six players in the spring of 2021. They include forwards Jenn and LeeAnne Wirth and Gillian Barfield, and guards Townsend, Cierra Walker and Louise Forsyth.