Box Score The Wolf Pack trailed by as many as 13 in the second half, but Loyola outscored the Blue Raiders 49-31 in the second half to win
NEW ORLEANS – The No. 17 Loyola Wolf Pack found themselves down by 13 points twice in Tuesday's matinee against the 15th-ranked Lindsey Wilson Blue Raiders, but the Wolf Pack stormed back in the second half to win 82-74.
The win moves Loyola to 8-2 overall and it's the third win over an NAIA Top 25 team this season.
Lindsey Wilson and the Wolf Pack played a tight opening-quarter, with the Blue Raiders taking a 20-18 lead into the second. The two teams went shot for shot to bring the score to 11-all, but the Blue Raiders were able to push the lead to 17-11 with four and a half minutes left. Kennedy Hansberry's 3-pointer with 28 seconds brought the game to within one possession to close out the quarter.
In the second quarter, Lindsey Wilson opened things up a little bit. After a 20-20 tie, the visitors extended its lead to 34-22 through the first five minutes of the quarter. Then Lindsey Wilson finished the first half with a 43-33 lead.
The Wolf Pack began to make their run in the third quarter, though. Lindsey Wilson did make it a 13-point ballgame for the second time in the contest, but three straight 3-pointers in a two-minute span by Presley Wascom gave Loyola its first lead, 60-58, since the opening minutes. Lindsey Wilson made the final field goal of the third to take a slim 61-60 lead into the final 10 minutes of play.
When Tay Cannon made two free throws in the first minute of the fourth, it gave the Pack the lead for good at 62-61. Kaila Anthony scored 12 of her career-high 34 points in the final quarter, including three free throws down the stretch to ice the game.
"I was super impressed with our team's ability to bounce back after what happened against Xavier. Especially on our way home for the holidays, sometimes these games are difficult. The focus for our team was extremely good and our second half was really great. We knew coming out in the second half we had to get stops defensively, because we just weren't doing that in the first half. Kaila Anthony is such a good player and they struggled to guard her. That's a good team, and for us to be able to beat them the way we did, it says a lot about our girls."
Pack Facts
Kaila Anthony recorded a career-high 34 points Tuesday, and it was her second consecutive game with at least 20 points. It's the third time this season the Wolf Pack leading scorer has scored more than 20 points in a game.
Tay Cannon tied her season-high in points, which was set Saturday against Xavier, with 13 points. Also, her seven rebounds were a season-high.
Kamille Cooper tied her career-high with 11 points. It was good enough for her season-high as well.
Taylor Thomas dished 10 assists against Lindsey Wilson, which is the most in the freshman's short Loyola career.
Loyola's bench outscored Lindsey Wilson's bench 27-2.
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.
