Box Score Loyola is hosting a pair of matchups with Stillman College this weekend, and the 25th-ranked Wolf Pack earned a win over the Tigers Friday
NEW ORLEANS – The No. 25 Loyola Wolf Pack earned their first Southern States Athletic Conference win of the season, defeating Stillman College 85-77 in The Den Friday.
Loyola (6-1, 1-1 in SSAC) and Stillman (2-5, 2-4) will battle it out again Saturday afternoon, tipping off at 3 p.m. in The Den.
After the Tigers scored the game's first points, Loyola scored the next 12 of 15 points to take an early 15-7 lead with more than three minutes left in the first quarter. Tera Snell scored first, then Presley Wascom added one of her three first-quarter 3-pointers to get the run going. Wascom notched her second 3-pointer midway through the first and sank her third one in the final minute of the opening frame.
The Wolf Pack led 20-9 after the first 10 minutes of the game.
Tay Cannon opened the second quarter by driving the length of the floor for an easy lay-in, pushing the Wolf Pack's lead to 23-9, then Wascom made her fourth 3-pointer moments later to put Loyola up 26-14 with 7:41 left in the half.
The Tigers tried to chip into the lead midway through the second, but Loyola had an answer every time. Chelsea Gray grabbed one of her six first-half offensive rebounds and scored to give the Pack a 28-18 lead, and Kennedy Hansberry intercepted a Stillman pass on the defensive end of the court and scored easily to push the advantage to 30-18.
Morgan Hervey, Jazmene McMillan and Hansberry all made free throws down the stretch, and Loyola took a 37-22 lead into the break.
Loyola would go on to outscore the Tigers 34-19 in the second half, cruising to the win. Hansberry scored six of her 12 points in the third quarter, extending the lead to 57-35 by the end of the frame. Stillman College did cut Loyola's lead to 12 with 4:27 left in the third, but the Wolf Pack finished the quarter on a 12-2 run thanks to scoring from Tera Snell, Jada Farrell, Hansberry, Cannon, Hervey and McMillian.
Snell and Farrell combined to score the first six points of the fourth quarter to give the Pack a 63-35 advantage, effectively putting the game away.
Wolf Pack Head Coach Kellie Kennedy
"I thought we played much better than we did the other night. Our intensity level was different, our defense was different. We were just different, so I felt like we learned from (the loss to Mobile) and got better. That's what we need to continue to do. It's hard when you don't play a lot of games because games are where you're exposed and where we figure out what you're not very good at, and we just haven't had many opportunities. You need that to grow during the season.
"I felt like it was such a team effort. I thought Chelsea Gray had a great night on the boards. I thought Tera (Snell) was back. It's been a long road for her. Presley (Wascom) and Kennedy (Hansberry) I thought were good, too. We also had some freshmen with some nice stat lines, so we're coming along. We just have to have some more opportunities to get out there and be competitive."
Pack Facts
Chelsea Gray tied her career-high with 10 rebounds Friday, marking the third game this season with at least that many boards. She also tallied a career-high seven offensive rebounds.
Presley Wascom made a season-high four 3-pointers, and she's now 11-for-28 from 3 this season.
Tera Snell notched a season-high 12 points to go along with her seven rebounds.
Kennedy Hansberry's two steals made it four games this season with multiple steals.
The Wolf Pack held Stillman to just 51 points, the least amount an opponent has scored this season.
Loyola had 29 second-chance points compared to Stillman's seven, and the Wolf Pack's bench outscored the Tigers' bench 27-15.
