No. 19 Loyola suffers first loss since November

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Loyola Wolf Pack women's basketball team saw its 17-game winning streak come to an end on Saturday, losing a road Southern States Athletic Conference game to Faulkner, 72-54. 
 

Loyola (21-3, 13-2) will close out the regular season next week with two more games in The Den. The Wolf Pack still controls their own destiny in the SSAC regular season title race. 
 

The two teams battled for the lead in the early going of the first half, as Chandler Caver hit a couple of 3s to help the Wolf Pack get started. Faulkner took the lead, but another 3-pointer by Caver put Loyola up 15-13 with less than three minutes left in the opening period. Faulkner ended up leading 18-16 after the first quarter. 
 

Jada Washington got Loyola started in the second quarter with a 3-pointer, and Ava Shields put Loyola back on top, 21-20. Tiarra McPipe and Taylor Smith combined for Loyola's next five points, and Caitlin Travis hit a 3-pointer to make Loyola's lead 29-22 halfway through the second quarter. Faulkner ended the half on a 13-4 run to take a 35-33 lead at the break. 
 

The Wolf Pack was outscored 16-4 in the third quarter to fall behind 51-37. A steal and score by McPipe and two free throws by Caver cut the deficit to six, 51-45, with eight minutes left. Faulkner, though, went on a 21-9 run to close out the game and the win.
 

Pack Facts

• Chandler Caver scored 13 points before fouling out, matching her season high, also set against Faulkner on Jan. 10. 

• Deniya Thornton was second in scoring with nine points, while Tierra McPipe and Ava Shields both had eight off the bench.