Box Score The senior posts her 15th double-double on the year and was a force on the defensive end with five blocks
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The No. 24 Loyola University New Orleans women's basketball team is going back to the finals at the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) Championship, defeating Stillman College 71-59 in the semifinals at the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl Friday afternoon.
The sixth-seeded Tigers (16-14, 10-10 SSAC) got on the board first with a jump shot, and kept it close through the opening minutes despite three early makes from beyond the arc from Megan Worry, as well as a triple from Paige Franckiewicz. Stillman trailed just 12-10 with a little over three minutes left in the opening frame, but the second-seeded Wolf Pack (25-6, 17-3) closed the quarter on a 7-0 run, leading 19-10 heading into the second quarter.
The Tigers outscored the Pack in the second period, cutting their deficit to one point, with Loyola's lead down to 29-28 with three minutes to go until halftime. The Wolf Pack then scored seven unanswered for the second-straight quarter, taking a 36-28 lead into the break.
Worry sunk another three-pointer to open the second half, as the Pack continued their run from the end of the previous quarter. On a 15-0 stretch, the Pack extended their lead to 16 points, forcing a Stillman timeout before the seven-minute mark of the third quarter with the score at 44-28.
Loyola outscored Stillman 20-9 in the third quarter, growing the lead to its largest of the game at 58-37 on the first basket of the final quarter, a layup from Breyah Richardson. The Pack held a big lead until the five-minute mark, when the Tigers began a comeback attempt that got the Wolf Pack lead down to single digits with a minute to go. Loyola held the Tigers scoreless over the last minute, however, as they advanced with a 71-59 win.
The Wolf Pack will now face the winner of Bethel and Mobile tomorrow for the SSAC Women's Basketball Championship at 4 p.m. The game will be live streamed by the SSAC here.
On the team's win: "I thought we came out really focused today. We had a goal of only giving up six offensive rebounds in the second half, and we gave up seven, but that's not bad to a team that rebounds the ball really well. You have to give a lot of credit to Stillman, they play so hard, they play great defense, and they make you play sloppy. But I just felt like we came in and we executed like we asked them to do."
On the team's experience: "We've had the experience of being here and the experience of winning it. I feel like we're going to come in and be a little more confident simply because we've had that experience in the past. I feel like we're playing really well right now. We're playing hard, and we're playing together. If we can just come in and execute and defend, I think we'll be okay."
On today's game plan: "We knew we had to come in strong. We knew they were a tough squad to handle, they rebound the ball well and execute well, so we had to come in strong. We started off a little slow yesterday, so we had to come in quicker and pick up the intensity. My teammates did a great job of getting each other open so I think that's what helped us in the first half get some good looks."
On expectations of a championship: "I wouldn't say it's expected, we work hard for it all season and we're going to do the same tomorrow. The winner of Bethel and Mobile, they're both tough squads. It's not going to be easy but I think we're confident and we're going to come out strong tomorrow."
On scoring her 1,000th point: "It's a great milestone to reach. I can't thank my teammates and my coach enough for giving me the opportunity."
Pack Facts
The Wolf Pack advance to the finals of the SSAC Tournament for the second-straight year, and fourth time in the past five seasons.
After sinking three quick shots from beyond the arc in the first quarter, Megan Worry surpassed the 1,000-point mark for her career at Loyola.
The senior registered her 15th double-double of the season today, scoring 19 points while grabbing 11 boards.
Worry was a force on the defensive side as well, blocking five shots to give her 130 for her career with the Pack, one off of Meghan Temple's school record.
Kaila Anthony was a key contributor on the defensive front as well, collecting three steals and a block, giving her 52 career blocked shots which ties her for the sixth-most in program history.
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.
