Women’s basketball topples Blue Mountain behind O’Dell’s 28

BLUE MOUNTAIN, Miss. – The Loyola Wolf Pack women's basketball team earned its first conference win of the season on Thursday, winning 67-49 at Blue Mountain Christian University. 

Loyola (6-2, 1-1 SSAC) will now head to Pulaski, Tennessee, for another SSAC matchup against Tennessee Southern on Saturday. 

The Wolf Pack went the first minute and a half without scoring until Caitlin Travis scored off a takeaway to get Loyola on the board at 2-2. The Toppers kept things close over the next few minutes, then Alissa O'Dell took over, stringing together eight straight points to put the Pack up by six. That lead was extended to eight, 17-9, after another Travis bucket at the end of the quarter. 

SeQuoia Carroll made her return to the court after missing the last few games, and she opened Loyola's scoring in the second period with two makes at the charity stripe. The Pack then stretched the lead to double digits at the eight-minute mark, as an Alissa O'Dell layup got her into double figures with 10. Then, back-to-back layups by Deniya Thornton and a jumper from Travis upped the advantage to its largest of the half, 27-13. 

Loyola led 31-18 at halftime, marking the lowest-scoring half for a Wolf Pack opponent since last season on Jan. 25, when Middle Georgia mustered just 13 points in the first half. 

The Wolf Pack struggled to score for the first few minutes of the third quarter, as the Toppers cut their deficit to single digits with a three pointer, 33-25 at the 7:40 mark. Then Carroll, who did not start but subbed in right before the triple, scored the next five points for the Pack, knocking down a triple of her own from the top of the arc. Travis, O'Dell, and Thornton kept up the scoring over the final six minutes of the third, giving Loyola a 50-35 advantage heading into the fourth. 

O'Dell continued her dominance in the final frame. After Tiana Smith got on the board with a pair of free throws on Loyola's first possession, O'Dell scored the Pack's next six points, followed by two more layups from Carroll to push the lead past 20. 

Loyola allowed just one field goal over the final three minutes, cruising to the 67-49 win. 
 

Pack Facts

• Alissa O'Dell posted game highs of 28 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 9-of-14 from the field and a perfect 10-of-10 at the free throw line. 

• This was O'Dell's third double-double of the season and her 10th at Loyola. 

• SeQuoia Carroll picked up right where she left off, tallying her third double-digit scoring game in a row. She only missed one shot Thursday, going 4-of-5 for 11 points plus six rebounds. 

• Deniya Thornton also finished with 11 points, while Caitlin Travis had 10. Both players also collected two steals. 

• Loyola has now won 21 straight games against Blue Mountain dating back to the 2016-17 season.