Box Score Zoie Miller's 24 points lead Loyola over the 20th ranked RedHawks
NEW ORLEANS - In the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) Game of the Week which featured the top-two teams in the conference standings, the Loyola University New Orleans women's basketball team defeated No. 20 Martin Methodist 65-53 Thursday night in The Den.
The Wolf Pack (18-4, 10-1) struck first to open the game, with Di'Mond Jackson finding Megan Worry on a cross-court pass for three before assisting Kamille Cooper on a bucket on the next possession. The RedHawks (21-5, 11-1) held an early lead, but layups by Zoie Miller and Kaila Anthony gave Loyola an 11-10 lead with just under three minutes remaining in the quarter. As it did for most of the game, defense reigned supreme to end the first, with Martin Methodist scoring the only two points in the final minutes, taking a 12-11 lead into the second quarter.
The two teams traded leads three times, before the Pack began to pull away with two scores by Miller. The Loyola defense kept the RedHawks off the scoreboard for just over four minutes of play, scoring 10 unanswered points until four and a half minutes remaining in the quarter. The visitors fought back however, taking the lead with just under a minute left and holding on until the break, leading 24-23 at halftime.
As they've done for the entire season, the Pack came out of the locker room on an offensive tear in the third quarter, outscoring Martin Methodist 22-4 in the first seven and a half minutes of action. After hitting a shot from the elbow, Miller dished out her fourth dime of the game, giving her 99 on the year which set a new career-high for assists in a season.
At the conclusion of the 26-14 third quarter, Loyola jumped out to an 11-point lead, up 49-38.
Jackson opened the fourth finding Anthony for three to keep the Wolf Pack rolling, before Anthony paid it forward and found Cooper down low for a layup. The home team jumped out to a 21-point lead, their largest of the game, with just under seven minutes left to play off of a three in the corner by Miller.
The Wolf Pack would hold onto their lead and run out the remaining time on the clock to claim the 65-53 victory, handing the RedHawks their first conference loss and moving Loyola to 10-1 in the SSAC.
The Pack were led in scoring by Miller, who collected 24 points on 10 of 17 shooting and set a new career mark for points scored in a season, topping her 432 from last year.
Both Jackson and Cooper led the team in rebounds today, collecting eight each, with Anthony adding 15 points for the Pack.
Jemia Carpenter led the RedHawks in scoring with 19, while Brooklyn Blanchard tallied 12 points and nine boards.
The Pack will remain at home for their next contest, hosting No. 21 Bethel University in The Den on Saturday, February 10th at 2 p.m.
You can keep up with the Pack by following Wolf Pack Athletics on Facebook at Facebook.com/LoyolaWolfPack, Twitter and Instagram @LoyolaWolfPack, and by checking out our website at LoyolaWolfPack.com.
