NEW ORLEANS – The Loyola Wolf Pack women's basketball needed overtime to secure their seventh straight win, defeating Faulkner, 78-76, on Saturday in The Den. After a back-and-forth extra period, Caitlin Travis hit two free throws with half a second on the clock to give the Wolf Pack the edge for good.
(RV) Loyola is now 11-2 overall and 4-1 in Southern States Athletic Conference play, and the team is back in action next Thursday when it travels to Abraham Baldwin for a 4:30 p.m. CST matchup.
Loyola got off to a good start thanks to four scoreless minutes for the Eagles. SeQuoia Carroll, Caitlin Travis and Deniya Thornton all scored for the Wolf Pack during that stretch, then all three scored again to bring Loyola's lead to 13-5 just past the halfway point of the first quarter. Thornton scored five more points in the frame, Alissa O'Dell scored her first points, and Ava Shields hit a 3 in the final seconds to make it a 23-12 advantage after 10 minutes of play.
The Eagles made their final shot of the first quarter, then proceeded to make five of their first six shots, including two from 3, in the second to trim the Pack's lead down to four, 26-22. Chandler Caver scored the final 10 points for Loyola, but the Eagles were able to match the Wolf Pack to cut Loyola's lead to three, 36-33, by halftime. Caver made two 3s during that stretch as well.
Loyola was able to push its lead back to double digits, 50-40, thanks to six points from Travis through the first six minutes of the third quarter. That got the junior to double figures, and Thornton joined her with four points during that same span. O'Dell and Carroll also contributed during Loyola's 5-for-7 second-half start. Faulkner answered with two 3-pointers, as the score read 51-47 in Loyola's favor at the end of the quarter.
O'Dell started the final frame with an old-fashioned 3-point play, and a jump shot by Thornton quickly put the Pack up nine, 56-47 with 8:40 left on the clock. Seven more points from Thornton, including a 3-pointer, made it a double-digit lead again, 63-53, but the Eagles made three shots and two technical free throws, 63-61, with four minutes left in the game. Thornton responded with a 3-point shot in the corner, and two free throws from Caver gave Loyola some breathing room, 68-61. However, Faulkner wouldn't go down quietly, with three scores, 68-68, on consecutive trips down the floor. Neither team could score in the final 60 seconds, forcing the game to overtime.
The two teams traded the lead five times in overtime before Travis' game-clinching free throws with less than a second remaining on the clock. Carroll had five overtime points, including a 3-pointer in the corner, and both made shots gave Loyola the lead again.
Pack Facts
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After scoring 29 points on Thursday, Deniya Thornton went off again on Saturday for 28 points. She also posted her first double-double of the season, adding 10 rebounds.
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Chandler Caver scored a season-high 13 points to go along with eight assists.
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Caitlin Travis also scored 13 points, including the final two free throws that sealed the win. She added two assists, two steals, and a key block in the final minute of regulation.
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SeQuoia Carroll (11 points, 9 rebounds) and Alissa O'Dell (10 points, 7 rebounds) also hit double figures in scoring as all five starters had at least 10 in the game.
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