Box Score Miller and Jones combined to go 19-of-25 from the charity stripe as the Wolf Pack claim their sixth straight victory
Riding a five-game winning streak, the No. 22 Loyola University New Orleans women's basketball team traveled to Mobile for a battle with NCAA Division II Spring Hill College Badgers.
Zoie Miller (JR/Frisco, Texas), coming off a career-performance against Selma on Wednesday, continued to show out with 24 points and four steals to lead the Pack to a 68-57 victory on Friday. Loyola put the pressure on early, forcing two turnovers and turning them into four points en route to an early 6-5 advantage. From that point, the Badgers went on a 14-6 run to close out the quarter with a 19-12 lead.
The second quarter is when Miller took over. She tallied ten points in the quarter and knocked down a couple of free throws to give Loyola the lead back, 28-26, with just over two minutes remaining in the half. The Wolf Pack took a 32-29 lead into the locker room.
The Wolf Pack came out of the locker room determined and added to their slim lead. Paige Franckiewicz (FR/Slidell, La.) nailed a three-pointer with four minutes remaining which pushed the score to 46-38, the largest lead for either team. Meghan Temple (SR/Houston, Texas) scored a layup on a pass from Miller with five seconds remaining in the quarter to give Loyola a 55-47 advantage heading into the final frame. The Wolf Pack extended their lead to as many as 12, and held off their Jesuit-rival en route to a 68-57 victory.
It was a good shooting effort for Loyola going 21-of-47 (44.7%) and 23-for-33 (69.7%) from the charity stripe. Their defense once again wrecked havoc and forced the Badgers into 27 turnovers, led by Miller's four steals, which they turned into 30 points. They also held Spring Hill to 23-of-63 (36.5%) and 3-for-14 (21.4%) from beyond the arc.
The aforementioned Miller went 7-of-13 from the field and 10-of-15 from the free throw line en route to her second consecutive game with at least 24 points. Kylah Jones (SR/Houston, Texas) had nine of her 13 points from the charity stripe, while Meghan Temple added eight points and seven rebounds. Alishia Drayton-Lewis led Spring Hill with 14 points, while Jewel Hill hit all of three of the Badger's baskets and finished with 12 total points in the loss.
The Wolf Pack will be back in action on Friday, December 16 against crosstown-rival Xavier University.
