THOMASVILLE, Ga. – The Loyola Wolf Pack women's basketball program hit a milestone on Saturday in their 86-57 win over Thomas University, claiming the program's 500th all-time win while improving their overall record to 7-1. The victory also puts the Pack at 3-0 in Southern States Athletic Conference play after winning two road league games this week.
Loyola will next host its annual School Day Game on Friday, as LSU Alexandria and the Wolf Pack will tip off at 12:30 p.m. in The Den.
Scoring was hard to come by for both teams through the first four minutes, as Deniya Thornton's 3-pointer in the opening minute was the only difference. Loyola would jump up 10-0 while holding Thomas to 0-for-9 scoring before the hosts got on the board with a little over four minutes until the end of the quarter. Thornton hit another 3-pointer during that 10-0 run to start the game.
After a close first quarter, the Wolf Pack started to pull away in the second. Bria McClure hit an early 3-pointer, then Taylor Thomas and Sandra Cannady combined for six points to make it a 25-17 lead three minutes into the frame. Free throws by MG Lymon and Lizzy Ratcliff, as well as a 3 from Taylor, extended the lead to 11, then an old-fashioned 3-point from Cannady made it 16, 37-21. The Night Hawks couldn't chip into the deficit by halftime either, as the Wolf Pack went into the locker room up 44-29.
Loyola dominated the second half, too, first outscoring Thomas 25-11 in the third quarter to make the lead 69-40 entering the fourth quarter. Thomas led the team with nine points in that quarter and McClure nailed another 3, as Jada Farrell got her first points of the game, too. The Pack's lead never dipped below a 20-point margin in the fourth quarter either with Morgan Hervey and Caitilin Travis scoring their first points.
Pack Facts
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Loyola's women's basketball program secured win No. 500 on Saturday. The program has a 500-338 record all-time. Head Coach Kellie Kennedy has been here for 346 of those wins, with a record of 346-115 in her 16 seasons with the Pack.
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In 29 seasons as a program, Loyola has averaged 17.6 wins per season.
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Sandra Cannady once again posted a double-double, her fifth of the season and 35th of her career, with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
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Taylor Thomas filled up the box score, pouring in a game-high 16 points to go along with six rebounds, three assists, three steals, and a block.
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Bria McClure put up 12 points for the third time this season while going a perfect 3-of-3 from three-point range.
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Lizzy Ratcliff was the fourth Wolf Pack player in double figures, finishing with 10 points. She's scored at least 10 in every game this season.
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Loyola out-rebounded Thomas 59-34. It was the team's most rebounds in a game since the team had 63 against SUNO on Nov. 10, 2022, and the second-highest rebounding total of the last three seasons.
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The Wolf Pack had 10 or more players score a point for the third time in the last three games. Deniya Thornton, who hit two triples, scored nine points, and Morgan Hervey had eight.
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