Lady Pilots Drop GCAC Opener
January 03, 2008
New Orleans, La.- Loyola’s 19th-ranked women’s basketball team hit a season high 53.7% of their field goal attempts and Trenell Smith scored a career high 28 points en route to an 80-62 conference-opening win over LSU-Shreveport Thursday night at The Den.
The Lady Pilots scored the game’s first six points, the final bucket coming from Edie Leonards with 17:18 to go in the first half.
Loyola answered going on a 9-0 run over 2:51 span, starting when Kim Rigg hit one of two free throws with 16:03 and ending with a Trenese Smith three-pointer to give the Wolfpack their first lead of the game, 9-6 with 13:44 left in the first half.
The largest lead for any team in the opening stanza came with 6:32 left after a Kiely Schork three pointer gave Loyola a six point advantage, 25-19.
LSUS came back with a 13-5 run taking up 4:24 of the first half clock. Teokea Wilkerson’s three with 1:50 left in the first half game the Lady Pilots a 30-32 advantage.
On the Wolfpack’s next possession, Trenell Smith hit a basket and was fouled by Kacie Cryer. Smith converted the ensuing free throw to give Loyola the lead for good with 1:34 left to go in the opening half.
The Wolfpack extended the lead to 37-32 after a Trenell Smith bucket with 36 seconds left, but Teokea Wilkerson scored with six seconds to play and Loyola took a 37-34 lead into the halftime locker room.
The Wolfpack opened the second half with a run, taking their first double digit lead in the game when Kiely Schork hit from above the arc with 17:07 to go to give Loyola a 48-38 advantage.
The closest the Lady Pilots would get the rest of the way was eight points on LSUS’s ensuing possession when Quan Joseph scored to make it 48-40 Wolfpack.
Five Wolfpack possessions later, Christine Mainguy made a basket with 15:12 to play while being fouled by Joseph, to give Loyola a double digit margin they would not relinquish. Mainguy hit the ensuing free throw to make the score 51-40.
Loyola’s largest lead in the game came with 6:06 remaining after two Adama Mballow free throws gave the Wolfpack a 26 point, 73-48, lead.
LSUS only got as close as the final margin the rest of the way after a Terryion Fairley bucket with 23 seconds left made the final score 80-62 Loyola.
Trenell Smith scored a career high 28 points on 10 of 14 shooting and four of five from behind the three point arc. Smith’s previous career high was 26 points in the GCAC regular season championship-clinching victory at Mobile last season. Kiely Schork added 16 points to her career total in the win, to round out the leading scorers for Loyola (8-4, 1-0 GCAC). She now stands only 19 points away from breaking the Loyola’s women’s career scoring record. Christine Mainguy grabbed a game high eight rebounds. As a team, the Wolfpack shot 53.7% from the field, hitting 47.8% from the land of plenty.
For the Lady Pilots (4-6, 0-1 GCAC), Teokea Wilkerson and Edie Leonards each scored a team-high ten points as the only LSUS players in double figures. Janai Sells grabbed a team high seven rebounds. In the loss, the Lady Pilots hit 42.6% from the field, but only 25% from above the arc, hitting three of their 12 attempts from distance.
The Lady Pilots will face Southern-New Orleans on Saturday at Delgado Community College. Tip-off is set for 5:00 PM
