The No. 23 Loyola University New Orleans Women's Basketball team took the long trip to Tennessee on Thursday evening to faceoff against (RV) Martin Methodist College inside the Curry Christian Life Center.
Despite being down by as many as 20 points in the second half, the Wolf Pack battled back to cut the deficit to just four points with under two minutes to play. The RedHawks managed to hold off Loyola in the final moments to earn the 68-59 victory at home.
With the loss, the Wolf Pack snap a nine-game winning streak to drop to 15-4 on the year and 10-1 in the SSAC. The RedHawks improve to 16-6 on the year and 7-3 in league play with the victory.
Sr. G Briana Oglesby (Baton Rouge, La./University Laboratory School) led Loyola with 11 points, while Jr. G Kylah Jones (Houston, Texas/Westfield) chipped in 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Off the bench, Sr. F Adrianne Sloboh (Simi Valley, Calif./Royal High School) added 10 points and five rebounds in the loss.
For Martin Methodist, Jr. F Brionna Taylor had a game-high 22 points on 11-of-14 shooting from the field.
The Wolf Pack shot 20-of-64 (31%) from the floor and just 2-of-17 (14%) from beyond the arc. Loyola held the 39-35 rebounding advantage on Thursday, while the RedHawks dished out 21 assists compared to just five by the Wolf Pack.
The visitors jumped out to an early 5-0 advantage following a strong take by Jones at the 6:02 mark. Loyola remained in control for the next few minutes and a free throw by Sloboh put the Wolf Pack up 12-5 with just four over minutes to play in the quarter. Down seven, the RedHawks flipped a switch and scored the final seven points to take the 14-12 advantage into the second quarter.
Martin Methodist kept the momentum rolling in the second quarter, scoring 10-unaswered points to stretch the advantage to 24-12 with 8:11 remaining in the quarter. Loyola finally got on the board at the 5:15 mark, when Jr. G Jackie Anderson (San Antonio, Texas/Antonian) dropped in a jumper to bring the score to 24-14. Powered by three triples from Teairra Luckett, Martin Methodist closed out the first half with the 39-23 lead.
This would be just the third time Loyola has trailed at the half this season (1-1 in those games).
Martin Methodist stretched its advantage to as much as 20 points in the third quarter, until a late run by the Wolf Pack, capped off by a layup fromOglesby, brought Loyola within 14 at 55-41 late. The RedHawks ended the third with a last-second layup to take the 57-41 lead after the first 30 minutes of action.
Loyola used full court pressure to force the home team into some mistakes in fourth and the Wolf Pack chipped the lead down to 11, 59-48, with just under six to play. A steal and a bucket from So. G Zoie Miller (Frisco, Texas/Lone Star High School) brought the score to 61-51 at the 4:59 mark, before a layup from Sloboh cut the deficit to single digits with 3:10 remaining. Following a missed three, Jones got fouled on a rebound and sank both free throws to bring the Wolf Pack within six, 63-57, with just over two to play. Miller got another steal at the 1:18 mark and took it coast-to-coast to bring the score to 63-59. The home team ended the game on a 5-0 run to seal the 68-59 upset.
Loyola will stay in Tennessee for the next few days as they prepare for its much-anticipated matchup with No. 4 Bethel University on Saturday. Tip for this battle of nationally ranked teams is set for 2:00 p.m. at Bethel.
