Box Score The 16th-ranked Loyola Wolf Pack earned their 20th win of the season at Blue Mountain, as they'll go into next week's conference tournament with the No. 2 seed
BLUE MOUNTAIN, Miss. – The No. 16 Loyola Wolf Pack capped off the regular season with a win Saturday, defeating the Blue Mountain College Lady Toppers 71-62 on the road. The Wolf Pack will enter the Southern States Athletic Conference tournament with a 20-6 record and a 13-4 mark in conference play.
Loyola will be the No. 2 seed in the SSAC Tournament next week, and it won't play until Thursday, March 5, at 4:30 p.m. after receiving a bye through the first round.
The Lady Toppers started with two 3-pointers in the first minute of the game, but the Wolf Pack quickly took the lead for good with baskets by Kate Petrovic and Taylor Thomas. Each made two in the first six minutes to give Loyola an 11-8 lead. Presley Wascom returned to game action after missing a few games by nailing back-to-back 3-pointers in a minute and a half span to extend the advantage to 19-10.
Thomas made her third basket of the first quarter and Tay Cannon added a free throw to give the Pack a 22-14 lead after the first 10 minutes.
Shawna Torregano began the second with a 3-pointer, as Loyola started the second on a 12-4 run. Kennedy Hansberry and Kaila Anthony both made 3s during that stretch, too, and the Wolf Pack grabbed a 34-17 lead with five minutes left in the half. Anthony added another 3-pointer, Hansberry scored four more points, Petrovic scored five, and the Wolf Pack went into the break with a 46-28 advantage.
Blue Mountain scored the first five points of the third quarter, as it outscored the Pack 16-13 in the frame to make it a 59-44 game with 10 minutes to play. Tay Cannon led Loyola with six points in the quarter to help keep her team up double-digits.
Again, the Lady Toppers outscored Loyola in a quarter, this time 18-12, but it wasn't enough to overcome Loyola's big first half. The Lady Toppers were able to cut the Wolf Pack's lead to single digits, but Breyah Richardson and Hansberry made free throws to keep the Lady Toppers out of reach of tying the game.
Pack Facts
The Wolf Pack earned their 20th overall win and 13th conference win Saturday, achieving that mark for the seventh straight season.
Loyola outscored BMC 36-12 in the paint and the Wolf Pack's bench outscored the Lady Toppers' bench 28-12.
Ten different players scored for the Wolf Pack, as Kaila Anthony led the Pack with 13 points.
Anthony also led the team with three steals, which is the second time in three games she's reached that figure.
Kamille Cooper had a game-high nine rebounds, and it's the eighth time this season she's reached that mark.
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.
