Box Score Janeicia Neely's career-high 30 points was not enough for the fourth-ranked Loyola women's basketball team to take down Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) rival No. 7 Bethel, as the Wolf Pack fell to the Lady Wildcats 76-58 tonight in McKenzie, Tennessee.
THU, 01/15/2015
(McKenzie, Tenn.) Senior Janeicia Neely's career-high 30 points was not enough for the fourth-ranked Loyola University women's basketball team to take down Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) rival No. 7 Bethel, as the Wolf Pack fell to the Lady Wildcats 76-58 tonight in McKenzie, Tennessee.
Bethel scored the first points of the night to take a 2-0 lead, but Loyola responded with a three-pointer by senior guard Janeicia Neely to bring the score to 3-2 two minutes into the game. The Wolf Pack went up by three with 15:07 remaining in the half with a second chance play by sophomore forward Meghan Temple, but Bethel knocked down a field goal to tie the game at seven. Strong offensive presence by both squads led to two more ties over the next few minutes of play. A driving layup by Neely and two free throws by junior Shayne Charles brought Loyola's lead to four (15-11) with 10:56 to go in the first. Bethel's Martessia Williams drained a deep three off an assist by Tayla Foster to cut the deficit to one (15-14) with 10:43 remaining. Bethel gained a two point advantage with six minutes left in the first off a three by Foster, but layups by Charles and sophomore Kylah Jones tied the game at 25. Bethel began to break away toward the end of the first half, going up by as much as nine (36-27) with one minute remaining. The Pack brought the score to 36-31 to conclude the first half.
Bethel (15-2, 7-0 SSAC) knocked down the first points of the second half, but Temple came back with a driving layup to bring the score to 38-33 to begin the half. Neely continued to shine on offense, scoring half of her points in the second to lead Loyola offensively. The Wildcats responded with consistent shooting led by Foster. Loyola continued to show spurts of offense, but Bethel's defensive presence forced the Pack into bad shots, ultimately leading to a 76-58 loss against a tough Lady Wildcat team.
Neely accounted for more than half of the Wolf Pack's points, shooting 50% from the field. Junior forward Adrianne Sloboh secured the glass for the Pack with eight rebounds and also chipped in four points. Bethel's persistent defensive presence forced Loyola into its lowest three-point percentage this season (13%). The Pack's 15 turnovers interrupted the flow of the game, leading to 24 points by the Lady Wildcats. Loyola still came away shooting 40% from the field and 80% from the charity stripe.
Foster also posted a career-high 32 points to pace the Lady Wildcats on offense, connecting on 52% of her attempts. Williams recorded 16 points on 60% shooting, while Kenyatta Drake chipped in 12 to aid the offensive effort. Mariah McKenty guided the defense with nine boards on the night.
The Wolf Pack (14-1, 6-1 SSAC) will return to action on Saturday, January 17 when they take on SSAC opponent Blue Mountain College at 2 p.m. in Blue Mountain, Mississippi.
