Box Score Taylor Thomas' 25 points and last-second 3-pointer in regulation helps the Wolf Pack take down Spring Hill in a non-conference, overtime matchup Monday
MOBILE, Ala. – Having to play an extra five minutes is nothing new for the Loyola Wolf Pack women's basketball team. With two overtime games already under its belt this season, Taylor Thomas's late 3-pointer in regulation Monday night against Spring Hill forced overtime and eventually led to a 74-68 win for Loyola.
Loyola is now 2-1 in overtime games this season, but more importantly, the team is now 9-3 overall with two Southern States Athletic Conference games in New Orleans this week. First, Loyola (3-1 in the SSAC) will play Stillman College at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday in Devlin Fieldhouse, then it'll host Blue Mountain College in The Den at noon on Saturday.
The Wolf Pack got off to a slow start offensively, scoring just 10 points in the first quarter to trail 18-10 after 10 minutes. Tera Snell scored Loyola's first four points, making it a 5-4 Spring Hill lead midway through the first quarter, then Kennedy Hansberry got on the board for Loyola. Trailing 15-7 with 90 seconds left, Kate Petrovic cut into the Badgers' lead with a 3-pointer.
Loyola continued to search for offense in the second quarter, but the Pack's defense kept them in the game. After both teams only made one shot through the first two and a half minutes, the Wolf Pack collected five steals and forced six turnovers en route to an 11-0 run over a span of three-plus minutes. MG Lymon's steal led to a Taylor Thomas score, cutting SHC's advantage to 20-14, then steals by Sydni Tangle and Thomas came prior to made shots by Snell and Tangle to make it a 1-point ballgame, 20-19, at the five-minute mark. Liz Critton and Hansberry finished the run that saw Loyola shoot 4-for-6 from the field.
Spring Hill, however, found some offense in the final minutes, taking a 33-25 lead at the break.
In a game of runs, Loyola got another long one to start the second half, outscoring the Badgers 16-2 over a four-minute span in the third quarter. Thomas and Tangle each had 3-pointers during that stretch, and Hansberry and Critton each scored before Thomas made two more shots to give the Pack a 41-37 lead. Loyola was held scoreless for the remainder of the period, as Spring Hill regained the lead entering the fourth quarter, 45-41.
Spring Hill was able to hold off Loyola in the early portion of the fourth, extending the score to two possessions every time the Pack got within a bucket of tying or taking the lead. The Badgers built a 57-51 lead with less than five minutes left, but Thomas and Sandra Cannady got the score back down to one possession with Thomas eventually tying the game, 59-59, with a 3-pointer at the 1:43 mark. After Spring Hill made a 3 with 19 seconds left, Thomas sent the game to the extra period with her third 3-pointer of the game with six seconds on the clock.
In overtime, free throws made up the first six of eight points combined, as Spring Hill jumped up 68-64 through the first two minutes. That was all the Badgers would score, though, ending the game by going 0-for-5 from the floor with three turnovers. In the meantime, Thomas and Hansberry tied the game with back-to-back scores, and Hansberry put Loyola ahead for good with another bucket in the final minute.
Pack Facts
Taylor Thomas led the way in scoring with a season-high 25 points on 9-of-17 shooting. She also had three steals, three assists, and six rebounds.
This was Thomas' highest-scoring game since Jan. 3, 2021, against Faulkner, when she scored 28.
After winning SSAC and LSWA Player of the Week, Kennedy Hansberry played a team-high 41 minutes Monday night, putting in 17 points while dishing out three assists.
Sydni Tangle finished with four assists and four steals, both of which were game highs.
Liz Critton had the game-high in rebounds, pulling down a season-high nine boards.
Loyola collected 14 steals as a team, the third consecutive game in which the team has had at least 14 takeaways.
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