LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Loyola University New Orleans women's basketball team played the second game of its season-opening road trip on Saturday. The Wolf Pack defeated Haskell Indian Nations University, 94-90, to claim its first win of the 2025-26 season.
Loyola will return to New Orleans next week, when the team visits Tulane for an exhibition match in Devlin Fieldhouse on Wednesday, at 6:30 p.m.
The Wolf Pack started Saturday's contest ahead with Deniya Thornton making a shot at the charity stripe before SeQuoia Carroll scored on a fast break, 3-0. With Loyola up, 8-7, Haskell went ahead with a three-pointer and another basket, 12-8. Two makes by Thornton at the free throw line, followed by another Thornton score, assisted by Addison Luker, tied things up at 12-12.
Caitlin Travis made two more at the foul line, followed by Tiarra McPipe making a free throw, putting the Pack up three, 15-12. Haskell found another lead late in the first quarter, scoring five to take a 20-16 edge. Thornton splashed a triple to get within one, 20-19, before Luker scored to keep the Pack within two to end the first frame, 23-21.
Alissa O'Dell scored to start the second frame, then Thornton and Tiana Smith made buckets to take a lead, 27-23. A three-point play by Thornton kept the Pack ahead by three, then O'Dell scored again to stay ahead after a Haskell score, 32-30.
The Fighting Indians took the lead back in the remaining minutes of the half, 38-34, then Thornton made two more at the free throw line, 38-36. Travis drained a 3-pointer, then O'Dell made a basket, 42-42. After a Travis free throw, Taylor Smith scored to tie it at 45-45, before a Carroll steal led to an O'Dell jumper to close the half, 47-45.
O'Dell scored again to start the second half, then Chandler Caver got to the hoop for two, 51-45. Haskell caught up once again, taking another lead, three minutes into the half, 54-53. The Fighting Indians remained ahead, 59-55, then Thornton scored six points to even the match, 61-61. The teams tied three more times in the third quarter, with Caver adding another layup, before Haskell took the lead again, 71-69. Carroll made a pair of free throws to tie it at 71-all, ending the quarter.
With seven minutes left in the game, Haskell jumped ahead, 77-73. Taylor Smith hit a triple to get within one, then Travis sank a jumper to tie the game, once again, 78-78. O'Dell made another layup to force another tie, then Tiana Smith swished a basket to tie the score for the fourth time in the quarter with four minutes left in the contest.
O'Dell tied it again in the remaining minutes, before Tiana Smith and Thornton created a three-point advantage for the Pack, 87-84. Two makes at the foul line by Thornton gave her 30 points in the game and a four-point lead with two minutes left, 89-85. Haskell's 15th triple of the game got the Fighting Indians within one, before a score by Tiana Smith and a three-point play for Carroll locked in Loyola's first win of the season.
Pack Facts
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Deniya Thornton led all scorers with 30 points, adding seven rebounds, an assist, and a steal as well. It was her second career game with at least 30 points scored.
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Alissa O'Dell notched her first double-double of the season, and the eighth of her collegiate career, with 18 points and 12 rebounds
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Caitlin Travis scored 15 for the second consecutive game while also recording her first double-double as a member of the Wolf Pack, grabbing 10 rebounds.
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SeQuoia Carroll was close to a double-double for the second game in a row, putting up nine points and nine rebounds.
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Travis (15p, 10r, first of career?) and O'Dell double-doubles
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