Box Score The Loyola women's basketball team played Blue Mountain College for the first of two weekend games Friday night, defeating the Lady Toppers 70-63
BLUE MOUNTAIN – The No. 24 Loyola Wolf Pack won their seventh straight game Friday, taking down the Blue Mountain Lady Toppers 70-63 in the first of two weekend matchups. Loyola is now 12-1 overall and 7-1 in Southern States States Athletic Conference play, sitting in first place of the West Division.
The two are set to play again Saturday at 3 p.m.
Blue Mountain started the game well, jumping out to a quick 12-4 lead six minutes into the game. Kennedy Hansberry converted an and-1 opportunity, then Chelsea Gray added three points to cut the Lady Toppers lead to 12-10 with a minute left in the opening frame. With 50 seconds left, Gray recorded a steal and got the ball up to Presley Wascom for an easy basket to tie the game, and Wascom added a 3-pointer to give the Wolf Pack their first lead 15-12 by the end of the quarter.
Jazmene McMillan and Taylor Thomas scored early in the second quarter before Wascom hit another 3-pointer, pushing the Pack's lead to 23-15. Tay Cannon and Sandra Cannady got on the board midway through the second, making it a 27-19 lead. After a Gray bucket and a Lady Topper 3-pointer, neither team scored in the final two minutes, as Loyola went into the break with a 29-22 lead.
BMC and Loyola traded baskets for the first half of the third quarter with the only difference being a Hansberry 3, giving the Pack a 36-28 advantage with 5:27 left. Wascom hit her third 3 a couple of minutes later, but the Lady Toppers finished the quarter by hitting three 3s to cut Loyola's lead to 43-39 entering the final frame.
Both teams had their best scoring quarter of the game in the fourth, but Loyola outscored BMC 27-24 to secure the win. Tera Snell and Hansberry each had four points in the first three minutes to push Loyola's lead to 53-44, then Wascom and Thomas each hit 3s to keep it a nine-point game with four minutes to play. After the Lady Toppers cut it to 60-55, Cannady scored twice after offensive rebounds to push the lead back to nine.
Blue Mountain never could make it a one-possession game, as Hansberry went 6-for-6 from the free-throw line down the stretch to close out the win.
Pack Facts
Chelsea Gray notched her second double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds. The senior has recorded double-digit rebounds in six games this season.
Presley Wascom shared the team-high with 16 points, her fifth straight game scoring in double figures.
Kennedy Hansberry also had 16 points, one off her season-high. Her three steals made it seven games this season with multiple steals.
Loyola outscored BMC in points off turnovers (21-14), points in the paint (28-12), second-chance points (13-2) and bench points (13-10).
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.
