Loyola finishes 2024 portion of schedule with a win

CHANDLER, Ariz. – The Loyola University New Orleans women's basketball team finished the Cactus Classic in Chandler, Arizona, on Saturday, defeating Montana Western, 81-68, in its third game in four days at the tournament. The Wolf Pack will return to the court in 2025, traveling to William Carey on Saturday, Jan. 4, for a noon first tip. 
 

Seven different players scored for the Wolf Pack in the opening quarter, but the Bulldogs outshot the Pack to take a 23-18 lead after 10 minutes of play. Caitlin Travis and Alexis Babineaux made two shots in the frame to keep Loyola close. 
 

Both teams struggled to score in the first five minutes of the second quarter, then Montana Western built an 11-point lead, 35-24, with two-plus minutes left until halftime. The tides started change in Loyola's favor, though, as the Wolf Pack closed out the first half with a 9-0 run to trim the deficit to 35-33 at the break. Kate Thompson led Loyola with six second-quarter points on three made shots. 
 

Scores by Deniya Thornton and Alissa O'Dell quickly tied the game, 37-37, in the early portion of the third quarter, and a 3-pointer by MG Lymon put the Pack on top. Montana Western tied it a couple of times and even took a one-point lead for a brief moment until Joclyen Wyatt hit a 3 to flip the lead once again to Loyola's side, 46-44. Thompson added four more points down the stretch of the frame to give Loyola a 54-50 advantage heading to the fourth quarter. 
 

The Wolf Pack had their best shooting quarter in the fourth, making 9-of-12 shots to pull away. The Bulldogs took a 55-54 lead after a minute of play, but four points by Travis and two points each from Thornton, Babineaux, O'Dell and Wyatt quickly pushed Loyola's lead to 67-59 with four minutes left in the game. From there, Loyola kept its separation from Montana Western thanks to 4-for-4 shooting from the field and 6-for-6 shooting from the free-throw line, including eight points from Travis and four more from Thompson. 
 

Pack Facts

• In her best statistical game of the season, Caitlin Travis led all scorers with 21 points on 7-for-11 from the field, plus a team-high five assists and eight rebounds. 

• Kate Thompson picked up her second double-double of the season, pouring in a season-high 14 points to go along with 11 rebounds. 

• Alissa O'Dell was the third Wolf Pack player in double figures, finishing with 12 points and seven boards plus two steals. 

• Deniya Thornton had two steals and a block for the second game in a row, nearing a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds. Seven of her rebounds came on the offensive glass. 

• Jocylen Wyatt (8 points) and Alexis Babineaux (6 points) both hit new season highs in scoring off the bench.

• All 10 Wolf Pack players who played in Saturday's game scored at least one point. 

• Loyola dominated the painted area on Saturday, outscoring Montana Western 40-20 in points in the paint. The Pack also outrebounded the Bulldogs 49-29 and grabbed offensive 19 boards compared to UMW's seven, leading to a 22-4 advantage in second-chance points.