NEW ORLEANS – The Loyola University New Orleans women's basketball team got the last laugh in Thursday's Southern States Athletic Conference opener with Faulkner University. After trading shots with the Eagles for most of the second half, Libby Thompson's 3-pointer with 12 seconds left led the Wolf Pack to a 91-87 victory in The Den.
The Pack (4-1, 1-0 in SSAC) will return to the court by entertaining non-conference foe Texas Wesleyan on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.
Loyola had a slow start to the contest with only four points through the first five minutes, but its defense was strong by only holding the Eagles to six. Faulkner jumped ahead 12-6 with less than three minutes left in the quarter, then Sandra Cannady scored and four points from Lizzy Ratcliff made it a 14-12 game. Cannady's sixth point of the game not only tied the game, 14-14, with less than 10 seconds until the end of the quarter, but it also gave the graduate student her 1,000th career point as well.
Loyola took its first lead, 17-14, when Taylor Thomas hit a 3-pointer in the first 20 seconds of the second quarter. After the Eagles regained the lead, scores by Caitlin Travis and Cannady kept it a one-score game, 22-21, and Ratcliff, 26-23, scored when Faulkner went up by five near the halfway point of the frame. Thompson's first points put the Pack back on top, 29-28, but the Eagles scored 10 of the game's next 15 points to go into the locker room with a 38-34 advantage.
Faulkner built a 48-41 lead through the first three minutes of the second half, but the tides started to turn in Loyola's favor after that. The Pack used a 13-0 run powered by 3-pointers from Ratcliff, Thomas and Thompson to push ahead 54-48 with three minutes to go in the frame. After Faulkner battled back to go back ahead 55-54, six points from Cannady and 3s by MG Lymon and Bria McClure gave Loyola a 66-62 lead heading into the final quarter.
Loyola maintained its multi-possession lead through the first six and a half minutes of the fourth, leading 81-75 with 3:24 on the clock. Faulkner, though, scored seven straight to go ahead 82-81 with two minutes to go, and that started a string of three straight 3s - two from Faulkner and one from Loyola - that changed the lead a couple more times. Trailing by one with 34 seconds left, Travis put Loyola ahead 86-85 only for the Eagles to answer on their next possession, 87-86. After Loyola called a timeout, Thompson nailed a 3-pointer with 12 seconds on the clock to give the Wolf Pack the lead for good, 89-87. A steal by Cannady and two free throws put the final touches on her career night.
Pack Facts
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Sandra Cannady left it all on the court Thursday night, playing 38 minutes while putting up a new career high of 29 points on 11-of-23 shooting, plus 13 rebounds for her second double-double of the year.
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Cannady filled up the box score, also adding four steals, two blocks, and three assists.
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Taylor Thomas was one assist away from a double-double, finishing with 10 points and nine dimes, plus five rebounds.
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Lizzy Ratcliff was Loyola's second-leading scorer, pouring in a career-best 19 points to go along with six rebounds.
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Libby Thompson came up big in just her second collegiate game, scoring 13 points in 15 minutes while going 3-of-5 from three-point range, including the go-ahead triple with 12 seconds remaining.
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Loyola improved to 21-6 in its all-time series with Faulkner. The Wolf Pack have never lost at home to the Lady Eagles.
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In the second half, Loyola only turned the ball over four times while forcing 10 turnovers for Faulkner.
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