Box Score Loyola University New Orleans women's basketball took down Talladega College 71-54 for their ninth consecutive victory of the season this afternoon in The Den.
THU, 12/04/2014
(New Orleans, La.) Loyola University New Orleans women's basketball took down Talladega College 71-54 for their ninth consecutive victory of the season this afternoon in The Den.
Talladega (5-4) kept pace with the Pack for the majority of the first half, tying the game at 16 with 9:32 remaining in the half. Loyola began to pull away following a three-point field goal by sophomore Caroline Gonzalez with 7:45 left in the half. The Pack would then go on a 17-0 run for the next four minutes of play (37-20). Loyola went into halftime with a 38-27 lead. The Tornadoes cut the lead to six (43-36) roughly seven minutes into the second half, but the Pack continued to push the offense, going on a 15-0 run over the next five minutes. Loyola's largest lead of the night (23) came with 3:28 left to play off a field goal by Janeicia Neely. For the remainder of the game, Talladega trailed the Pack by at least 17 points.
Gonzalez led the way for the Pack for the second straight game, finishing the day with a double-double 18 points and a career-high 15 boards. She went 6-of-11 from the field and knocked down two three-pointers to help guide Loyola offensively. Senior Janeicia Neely tallied 13 points on 67% shooting, while fellow senior Megan Whittaker chipped in 12 points, including four three-point field goals. Whittaker also added three assists, while sophomore Meghan Temple helped secure the glass with 10 rebounds on the day. Senior Rebekah Greer notched four steals and added six points in the win.
"I am extremely proud of our performance against a tough Talladega team," said Head Coach Kellie Kennedy. "I was also proud see a young player like Caroline (Gonzalez) step up and lead the way over the past two games. It truly shows the depth of our team and the number of offensive threats we have."
Junior Tomesha Smith drove the Tornadoes' scoring effort with 16 points and also compiled a team-high 11 rebounds on the day. Fellow junior Shakeena Benton added 14 points, while sophomore Tajanee Wells contributed eight points and six boards. The Pack's defensive effort forced the Tornadoes to shoot a rough 27% from the field, and a staggering 14% from beyond the arc.
The Wolf Pack (9-0) will travel to Ruston, Louisiana to take on NCAA Division I opponent Louisiana Tech University in an exhibition matchup on Sunday, December 7 at 3 p.m.
