Box Score With the win, head coach Kellie Kennedy ties longtime Wolf Pack men's basketball coach Jack Orsley for the most coaching victories (173) in Loyola basketball history.
The No. 24 Loyola University women's basketball team made its home debut on Thursday afternoon, welcoming Southern University New Orleans at New Orleans to First NBC Court for a crosstown matchup on Community Day.
Following a historic defensive performance on Tuesday, Meghan Temple (SR/Houston, Texas) showed off her offensive prowess on Tuesday – pouring in a career-high 29 points to push the Wolf Pack past the Lady Knights 72-62 at home.
With the victory, Loyola (4-1) head coach Kellie Kennedy ties longtime Wolf Pack men's basketball coach Jack Orsley for the most coaching wins (173) in Loyola basketball history.
Temple came out the gate on fire –scoring the games opening six points - to put the home team up 6-0 with 6:18 to play in the opening quarter. Both teams struggled from the floor (a combined 10-of-39) over the next six minutes of action and the scoreboard read 15-8 in favor of the Wolf Pack after one.
Shayne Charles (SR/New Iberia, La) started the second quarter by draining four consecutive free throws to put Loyola up seven with just under nine minutes to play before halftime. The Lady Knights managed to cut the deficit to four (26-22) at the 4:49 mark before buckets by Zoie Miller (JR/Frisco, Texas), Paige Franckiewicz (FR/Slidell, La.) and Temple extended the Wolf Pack advantage to 33-22 with just over two minutes remaining in the half. Both teams exchanged baskets over the final minutes of the quarter and the Wolf Pack held the 37-29 advantage entering the locker room.
Up 41-33 in the third, Loyola strung together five unanswered points to stretch the lead to 46-33 with 3:57 remaining in the quarter. The home team outscored SUNO 8-6 over the next three minutes to take the 59-34 cushion into the final quarter of action.
The fourth quarter saw Loyola maintain a double-digit lead throughout the entirety to give the Wolf Pack the 72-62 victory at First NBC Court.
Temple's 29 points led all scorers while Kylah Jones (SR/Houston, Texas)' career-high nine rebounds were tops on the squad. Off the bench, Di'Mond Jackson (JR/Baton Rouge, La.) put up 10 points and four assists while Miller chipped in eight points, five assists and four rebounds in the win.
For SUNO, Julia Alexander tallied a team-high 18 points and Janicha Diaz recorded a double-double (13 points/13 rebounds) off the bench on Thursday.
The Wolf Pack returns to First NBC Court on Friday, Nov. 25, to take on No. 19 Oklahoma City University at 2:00 p.m.
