The (RV) Loyola University New Orleans Women's Basketball team kicked off 2016 on Saturday, welcoming Brenau University to The Den for a SSAC conference matchup. Fueled by three players in double figures, the Wolf Pack cruised to the 74-54 victory at home.
With the win, Loyola improves to 8-3 on the year with a perfect 3-0 mark in SSAC play. Conversely, the Golden Tigers drop to 7-4 overall and 2-1 in league play.
The first quarter started slow for both teams and score remained 0-0 for nearly three minutes. At the 7:10 mark, a triple by Sr. G Briana Oglesby(Baton Rouge, La./University Laboratory School) off an assist by Jr. G Kylah Jones (Houston, Texas/Westfield) put Loyola on the board first. With the Wolf Pack leading 5-3, Brenau strung together seven-straight points to grab to 10-5 advantage with 3:47 remaining in the first quarter. Loyola scored the final four points of the first to knot the game at 12-12 after the first 10 minutes of action.
The Wolf Pack began to open things up in the second quarter, jumping out to the 24-14 lead following a layup by Jones at 6:23. The home team kept it rolling for the next five minutes, stretching the advantage to as big as 23 points with 25 seconds remaining. A jumper by the Golden Tigers' Lia Thomas was the last score of the first half and the Wolf Pack went into the locker rooms up 39-18.
So. G Zoie Miller (Frisco, Texas/Lone Star High School) started the second half with two buckets to bring the score to 48-20 with 6:35 remaining in the third. The home team kept the comfortable 20-plus point cushion for the remainder of the third and the quarter ended with a free throw by Miller to bring the game to 56-29 after three.
Playing with mostly reserves, Loyola maintained the large lead throughout the fourth quarter. Following a made three throw by Fr. F Nyree Grant(Chestnut Ridge, NY/Paramus Catholic) at the 2:06 mark, the Golden Tigers ended the game by scoring the final six points to give the Wolf Pack the convincing 73-53 victory at home.
The Wolf Pack featured three scorers in double figures, led by Miller's 13 points. Jones added 11 to go along with five boards and Fr. G Kayla Mack (Houston, Texas/North Shore) recorded a career-high 10 points in nine minutes off the bench. Jr. F Meghan Temple (Houston, Texas/Klein)grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds and Fr. G Megan Worry (Houston, Texas/Lumberton) notched a career-high three blocks in the win.
For Brenau, Dominique Patrick led the way with 14 points and six rebounds.
Following the game, the 2014-15 SSAC Tournament Champion Loyola Women's Basketball team was honored with a ring ceremony and a banner unveiling. The 2014-15 squad won the SSAC Tournament Championship for the first time ever, while winning a program-best 87% of their games.
The Wolf Pack return to The Den on Monday, January 4, to take on Middle Georgia State at 5:30 p.m.
