Box Score Facing No. 3-seed Carroll, the No. 6-seed Loyola women's basketball team's National Championship hopes ended with a 65-59 loss on Saturday
NEW ORLEANS – The Loyola University New Orleans women's basketball team played tough against third-seeded Carroll (Mont.) on Saturday, but ultimately the No. 6-seed Wolf Pack lost the Round of 32 matchup, 65-59. The Wolf Pack's season comes to end with a 23-6 overall record.
The two teams played evenly in the opening minutes, as Sandra Cannady converted an old-fashioned 3-point play followed by Kennedy Hansberry scoring her first points. Leading 6-5, Carroll scored the next seven points before Hansberry ended the drought with a 3-pointer, 13-8, but the Fighting Saints still ended the first quarter with a 16-11 lead.
Loyola and Carroll matched each other shot-for-shot to start the second quarter, as Cannady, Taylor Thomas and Tera Snell all got on the board, bringing the score to 21-17 in Carroll's favor. After that, neither team scored for the next three minutes, but Sdyni Tangle and Kate Petrovic both hit 3-pointers in the final minutes of the first half to keep the game close, 28-23. Jazmene McMillan, Cannady and Thomas all scored in the last 90 seconds to go into the break down 31-29.
Thomas put the Pack up for the first time since the opening minutes with a 3-pointer, 34-33, a few minutes into the second half, but the Saints quickly regained the lead and extended it to eight, 42-34, with four minutes left int he third quarter. Thomas made two more 3s after Carroll's run, and free throws by Thomas, Hansberry and Tangle helped keep Loyola close, 50-48, with 10 minutes to go.
A Cannady free throw to start the fourth quarter made it a one-point game, but a 12-2 run by the Saints gave them their first double-digit lead, 62-51, with four minutes left. The Pack wasn't done, though. Hansberry scored six quick points - three from an and-1 opportunity and another three points from beyond the arc - and that cut the score to 62-57 with 1:38 to play. Two Tay Cannon free throws at the one-minute mark narrowed the gap even more, 62-59, but Carroll scored the final three points to claim victory.
Pack Facts
The Wolf Pack finished the season with 23 wins, which is the most for the program since the 2018-19 season.
Tera Snell recorded three blocks for the fourth time this season, moving up in Loyola's record book in the process.
Snell is now fifth on Loyola's all-time blocks list with 57 blocks for her Wolf Pack career. She also had 29 blocks this season, which is the sixth-most in a single season in Loyola history.
Tay Cannon also moved up in the record books after recording one block, which gave her 52 for her career. That's tied for eighth-most all-time in Loyola's records.
Three players scored in double figures for the Wolf Pack against Carroll: Kennedy Hansberry (17), Taylor Thomas (15), and Sandra Cannady (11).
NAIA Opening Round: New Orleans Bracket
Friday, March 11:
Game 1 | #3 Carroll (Mont.) def. #14 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.), 69-50
Game 2 | #6 Loyola def. #11 Menlo (Calif.), 78-40
Saturday, March 12:
Game 3 | #3 Carroll def.. #6 Loyola, 65-59
All times local (CST)
Winner of Game 3 advances to the Round of 16 in Sioux City, Iowa
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