Box Score The Loyola Wolf Pack traveled to Hattiesburg Saturday, earning their seventh conference win of the season
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The 14th-ranked Loyola Wolf Pack used a 25-point fourth quarter to earn a road win over William Carey Saturday. Loyola outscored the Crusaders 25-12 in the final frame to claim the 68-58 win.
The Wolf Pack is now 14-3 overall and 7-1 in Southern State Athletic Conference play. Loyola and Bethel are both 7-1 in the standings, but Bethel's lone loss came to Loyola in November. The two are set to play again on Feb. 26 in McKenzie, Tennessee.
Paige Franckiewicz got the scoring started with five quick points, then both William Carey and Loyola matched shot for shot until the Crusaders took an 18-14 lead into the second quarter. Franckiewicz scored seven of her game-high 20 points in the first 10 minutes.
The Wolf Pack trailed for the rest of the half, falling behind by as many as nine points in the second quarter. Two 3-pointers by Presley Wascom helped bring the Crusaders' lead down to 32-29 by the end of the quarter.
Loyola cut the deficit to one point four different times in the third quarter, but it still couldn't take its first advantage since the 1:11-mark of the first. Led by two 3-pointers from Franckiewicz and another by Taylor Thomas, the Wolf Pack trailed by only three entering the final 10 minutes.
The fourth quarter was a different story, though. Loyola had not scored more than 15 points in any of the first three quarters, but 25 points in the fourth was the difference in the game. Loyola shot 9-for-15 from the field while holding William Carey to 4-of-16 in the frame, and seven different players scored.
Loyola finally took the lead when Kate Petrovic made a 3 at the 6:33 mark, as the Pack took a 50-49 advantage. Three minutes later the Wolf Pack built a nine-point lead, as the Crusaders never got to within three points of Loyola for the rest of the game.
The Wolf Pack is back on the road next week, matching up with Brewton-Parker at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday.
"Great team effort! We fought through lots of adversity in the last week, in terms of illness and injury, but we were able to put together a win. We came out in the fourth quarter and made a tremendous run while holding a very good William Carey team to only 12 points. Paige stepped up big, as did Presley and Kennedy.
Pack Facts
Paige Franckiewicz led the Wolf Pack with 20 points, and it was her second 20-point game of the season and seventh of her career.
Taylor Thomas' six assists marks the fifth time this season the freshman has had at least that many.
Thomas also had three steals in the contest, getting one away from her career-high four.
Breyah Richardson pulled down six rebounds, which is the fifth time this season she's recorded six or more.
Loyola went 9-for-18 from behind the 3-point line, and it's the second time this season it has shot 50 percent from 3 in a game.
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