Women’s basketball wins at Mobile

MOBILE, Ala. – The 25th-ranked Loyola Wolf Pack women's basketball battled back in the second half to defeat Mobile, 70-66, on the road Thursday evening. The win moves Loyola to 2-2 overall and 2-0 in Southern States Athletic Conference play after four straight road games to start the season, and it'll host its season-opener on Monday against Xavier at 5:30 p.m.
 

After a couple of minutes of scoreless basketball for both teams, MG Lymon got the scoring started with a 3-pointer, but the Rams scored the next six points before the first-quarter media timeout. Alissa O'Dell scored three consecutive times to get the game tied, 9-9, with two minutes left in the frame. Mobile would eventually take a 13-11 by the end of the first 10 minutes. 
 

Mobile had a strong start to the second quarter, holding the Wolf Pack to just eight points through the first six-plus minutes to take a 28-18 lead. From there, though, the Wolf Pack scored eight of the game's next 10 points to cut it to three, 30-27. O'Dell contributed three of those points, and Libby Thompson, Caitlin Travis and Lymon all chipped in two each, but the Rams added a bucket in the final seconds to bring the score to 32-27 at halftime. 
 

O'Dell kept her good playing going with five quick points to start the third quarter, including an old-fashioned 3-point play, 34-32. Mobile went back up seven, then two straight scores by Lymon kept it close, 41-36. Both teams went a couple of minutes without scoring, but the two teams played evenly the rest of the way to make it a 53-49 home lead after three quarters. 
 

A field goal by Bria McClure and free throws from Travis tied it, 53-53, 90 seconds into the final frame, then a combination of Lymon and O'Dell put the Pack in the lead, 57-53, with six and a half to play. Back-to-back scores by O'Dell and Deniya Thornton brought the score to 61-55, and two free throws by Lymon pushed the advantage to six, 63-57, in the final minute. The Rams scored four straight to make it a two-point ballgame, but three more free throws from Lymon sealed the win. 
 

Pack Facts

• The game's leading scorer was MG Lymon, who sank 12 free throws, including some crucial makes in crunch time, en route to a career-high 21 points. 

• Overall, the Pack made 29 shots at the free throw line, which is tied for the program's most makes in any game in the last 10 seasons.

• Alissa O'Dell also put up a new collegiate career high, making nine of her 11 shots from the field for 20 points plus a game-high eight rebounds.

• Deniya Thornton also put up double digits, finishing with 11 points and five rebounds, plus a block and a steal. 

• Joclyen Wyatt led the team with four assists, a new season high, while Libby Thompson had three assists.