NEW ORLEANS – The Loyola Wolf Pack women's basketball team returned to The Den after three games on the road to defeat Texas A&M-Texarkana in non-conference competition on Thursday night, 79-74. Loyola notched its fourth straight victory on Thursday, moving to a 6-4 overall record.
Loyola will end the weekend with a non-conference matchup against Keiser University on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 4 p.m.
The Wolf Pack played well through the opening frame, starting with two free throws and a layup by MG Lymon to go up, 4-0. After the Eagles got on the board, Caitlin Travis and Alissa O'Dell knocked down baskets to give Loyola a nine-point lead with over seven and a half minutes left in the quarter, 10-1. Once TAMUT scored five straight points, Libby Thompson assisted Kate Thompson for two, then Alexis Babineaux hit a layup to go ahead eight, 14-6. Deniya Thornton sunk a 3-pointer to give Loyola a 13-point lead, 19-6, just before the Eagles made two shots to end the frame, 19-10.
To start the second quarter, two layups by TAMUT led to the Wolf Pack advantage being cut to five, 19-14. A Travis triple and free throw, along with Kate Thompson and Thornton buckets pushed the Loyola lead back out to double digits with four minutes left in the half, 29-19. A Travis steal led to Lymon scoring her 13th point of the half on a 3-pointer, leading by 12, 38-26, heading to the locker room.
Travis opened the second half by scoring Loyola's first three points, then Lymon knocked down another trey to give the Pack its largest lead of the match, 44-26. After the Loyola lead was cut to 9, free throws from Thornton, Travis and a Kate Thompson layup put the Wolf Pack back up 12, 53-41. The Eagles, however, managed to get back within single digits, 55-47, but two makes at the charity stripe by Kate Thompson and Joclyen Wyatt's first bucket of the game put the Pack ahead 12 heading into the final frame.
Back-to-back triples by Thornton stretched the Maroon and Gold's lead to 16 to start the fourth quarter, 65-49. A strong run by the Eagles put Loyola within three, but Thornton got a layup, along with a scoop and score to earn her 20th point of the night, 70-63. Then, Lymon knocked down two shots to put the Pack's lead back into double-digit territory, 74-63. TAMUT got back within four, but a clutch layup by Travis put the game out of reach for the visitors, sealing the win, 79-74.
Pack Facts
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Deniya Thornton once again filled up the box score on both ends of the court. She posted a stat line of 20 points on 8-of-15 from the floor and 3-of-6 from three-point range, seven rebounds, five steals, three blocks, and two assists with just one personal foul.
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In two games this week, Thornton has totaled 43 points, 20 rebounds, eight steals, six blocks, and four assists.
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MG Lymon also hit the 20-point mark for the third time this season. She finished with 20 points on an efficient 8-of-11 shooting, 2-of-4 from three, and four assists.
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Caitlin Travis was third on the team in scoring with 15 points, plus a team-high five assists and four steals.
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Kate Thompson notched her first double-double with the Wolf Pack, recording 13 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, plus three blocks and three steals.
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Loyola shot 30-of-59 for 50.8% from the field, the team's highest field-goal percentage in a game this season.
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The Wolf Pack dominated the paint against the Eagles. The Pack outscored their opponents 46-30 and out-rebounded them 38-27. On second-chance points, Loyola outscored Texarkana 12-6.
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