Women’s basketball wins on the road

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The 25th-ranked Loyola Wolf Pack women's basketball team played the first of two road games in Little Rock, Arkansas, on Saturday, defeating Philander Smith, 70-62, to get back in the win column. The Pack (3-4) will next play at Arkansas Baptist on Monday at 1 p.m.
 

Alissa O'Dell had 11 first-half points to help keep Loyola within striking distance, but Bria McClure and MG Lymon came up big in the second half to give Loyola the edge. 
 

O'Dell had Loyola's first four points, then Deniya Thornton and Lymon each scored two to make it an 8-1 lead after four minutes in the first quarter. Philander Smith eventually took a 14-8 advantage, but a 3-pointer by Thornton and an and-1 opportunity for O'Dell cut it to one, 16-15, with less than a minute to go in the first period. O'Dell got to nine first-quarter points when she gave Loyola the 17-16 lead by the end of the frame. 
 

McClure got on the board with a 3 to start the second quarter, but the Panthers still outscored the Wolf Pack 19-11 the rest of the way to give the hosts a 35-31 lead at the break. 


Lymon scored 12 of her 15 points in the final 20 minutes, and McClure added nine in the second half to help propel Loyola. It started, though, when Kate Thompson and Thornton scored the first four points of the third quarter to quickly tie the game, then Thornton converted an old-fashioned 3-point play to put Loyola on top, 36-36. After the Panthers went up by eight with 90 seconds to go in the frame, a 3-pointer by Libby Thompson and scores by Krislyn Biscette and McClure cut it to two, 49-47, heading into the fourth quarter. 


A 3 from McClure flipped the lead back to Loyola in the early portion of the final quarter, but Philander Smith would still hold a four-point lead, 57-53, with five minutes to go. Loyola finished strong, though, winning the final few minutes 17-5 to claim the win. McClure scored again and Lymon hit one from long range to give Loyola the lead for good, 59-57, and Caitlin Travis made a shot followed by six free throws from Lymon to extend the advantage to eight, 69-61, in the final minute. 
 

Pack Facts

• Three different players scored 15 points for the Wolf Pack on Saturday: Bria McClure, MG Lymon, and Alissa O'Dell.

• For McClure, who also led the game in assists with four, knocked down three three-pointers and set a new career high in points. 

• It was O'Dell's fifth consecutive game scoring in double figures. She also grabbed a team-high eight boards. 

• A majority of Lymon's points were at the charity stripe, as she drew seven fouls and shot 8-of-10 at the line. 

• Deniya Thornton also drew seven fouls, hit seven free throws, and finished with 12 points, five boards, and a team-high four steals.