Box Score Loyola shot 11-16 on three-pointers, picking up their fourth-straight victory
NEW ORLEANS – The Loyola University New Orleans women's basketball team won their fourth-straight game Friday night, defeating the University of Mobile 81-62 in the first of two weekend matchups.
The win moves the Wolf Pack to a 9-1 overall record, 4-1 in Southern States Athletic Conference play, and evens the season series 1-1 against the Lady Rams, who are the only team with a win against the Pack this season.
The final score may not have been close, but the teams were even in the first quarter. Tera Snell found Chelsea Gray inside for a layup, scoring the first points of the game. Mobile quickly answered, however, and the first seven minutes were closely contested, despite two made triples from Presley Wascom.
With the game tied 8-8 with 3:10 left in the quarter, Wascom and Kennedy Hansberry hit back-to-back threes on a 7-0 run to give Loyola it's largest lead of the quarter. The home team led 16-15 at the end of the period.
The triples kept falling in the second quarter, with Kate Petrovic knocking one down and Wascom collecting her fourth of the game. The Wolf Pack led by as many as 14 points in the frame, with a 41-29 advantage heading into the halftime break after out-scoring Mobile 25-14 over the 10-minute period. .
Loyola opened the second half on a 6-0 scoring run, causing turnovers on four-straight Mobile possessions. The Lady Rams hit a triple, but Taylor Thomas answered with a three of her own, forcing a timeout call from the visitors just three minutes into the third quarter.
The Pack led by as many as 22 points in the quarter, but Mobile closed the gap to 16 points, 59-43, by the end of the third.
Mobile continued to shrink the home lead, down to just 15 points to start the fourth quarter, but Wascom ended the visitors' run quickly, nailing back-to-back triples. She also drew a foul on a later three-pointer, converting on all three attempts at the charity stripe.
After another trey from Petrovic stretched the Loyola advantage to 72-50 halfway through the final period, the Wolf Pack lead never dipped under 19 points for the remainder of the game, reaching as many as 23 points.
Saturday's contest between the Wolf Pack and Lady Rams in The Den begins at 3 p.m.
Wolf Pack Head Coach Kellie Kennedy
"That's probably the best team effort we've had all year. It's been a roller coaster, so now that all of us have had some time back together, we're getting in better shape gradually, and it's paying off.
I thought some people played really well. Obviously Presley (Wascom) shot the ball extremely well. Chelsea (Gray) played solid from the beginning to the end. She didn't score a ton, but her defensive effort was really crucial for us tonight. I also thought Kennedy Hansberry was so solid for us. She did what we needed her to do: took care of the ball and ran our offenses.
Across the board, I thought it was a great team effort. We have to rebound the ball a little bit better tomorrow than we did tonight. We shot the ball really well, which makes us really hard to guard. We also have to take care of the ball. We didn't do that very well. So we have some things to work on, but back-to-backs are always gonna be tough."
Pack Facts
Presley Wascom led all players in scoring for the second-straight game, pouring in 21 points on a 6-7 shooting night from long range. She also stole the ball three times.
As a team, the Wolf Pack went 11-16 from deep. It's the team's highest 3-point percentage of the season.
Kennedy Hansberry and Kate Petrovic each hit two treys. Taylor Thomas had the other, making her only attempt from long range.
Thomas scored 14 on 5-6 shooting, while also contributing six boards, five assists.
Chelsea Gray scored 11, matching her career best, which was also set against Mobile on January 19.
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.
