Box Score The Loyola Wolf Pack and Stillman College will play again at 3 p.m. Saturday to close out the regular season
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Loyola women's basketball team continues to win. After Friday's 51-42 win over Stillman College, the 23rd-ranked Wolf Pack built their winning streak to 11 games, improving to 16-1 overall this season and 10-1 in the Southern States Athletic Conference.
Loyola has already wrapped up the SSAC West Division crown, as the Wolf Pack and Tigers will play one more regular-season game Saturday at 3 p.m. The first-round of the SSAC tournament is set, too, with Loyola playing Florida College at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 25.
The Wolf Pack found themselves in an early hole, falling behind 14-10 after the first quarter. Loyola only made three field goals in the first 10 minutes, but its defense kept the Wolf Pack in the game.
The Wolf Pack's defense played even better in the second quarter, holding Stillman to just two points to take a 22-16 lead at halftime. While Loyola didn't shoot the ball well early, it made six free throws by the 13 minutes of the game to trail the Tigers 14-13. Loyola made back-to-back baskets to take its first lead since the score was 3-0, 17-14, then Tera Snell, Jada Farrell and Sandra Cannady helped Loyola to a 12-0 run to push the lead to 22-14. Stillman's first points of the second quarter came with 1:16 on the clock.
The Tigers made a push in the third quarter, though. They scored the first seven points in the first four and a half minutes to regain the lead 23-22. Presley Wascom and Taylor Thomas helped the Wolf Pack get back on top, 28-26, but a Tiger 3-pointer switched the lead once again. Farrell, Wascom and Chelsea Gray tied the game at 34-34 with 27 seconds left, but Stillman went into the fourth quarter leading 36-34.
Wascom quickly gave Loyola the lead for the eighth time of the game with a 3-pointer 15 seconds into the final frame, and that was the last time the lead changed. Stillman tied the game less than a minute later, but five different Wolf Pack players scored consecutively over the next five minutes to give Loyola a 47-40 advantage. Taylor Thomas scored the final three points for Loyola to bring the score to its final, 51-42.
Pack Facts
Presley Wascom led the Wolf Pack in scoring with 12 points. She's hit double figures in eight of the last nine games.
Wascom and Sandra Cannady each stole the ball a team-high three times. Cannady was second on the team in both points (9) and rebounds (7).
Now with a 10-1 record in conference play, Loyola has its best SSAC start since an 11-1 start during the 2017-18 season. The Wolf Pack went 13-2 in the conference that season and won the conference tournament.
Loyola also now owns an 11-game win streak. It's the most consecutive victories for the Pack since the 2014-15 season, when the team started 14-0.
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.
