Loyola Hands No. 22 LSUS First Conference Loss
January 27, 2009
New Orleans, La.- The Loyola women’s basketball team made 20 out of 26 free throw attempts while LSU-Shreveport converted only four out of 11 from the charity stripe as the Wolfpack defeated the 22nd-ranked Lady Pilots 69-61 Monday night at The Den.
Loyola led by as many as six points early in the second half, but LSUS rallied to take a 49-48 lead on a Callie Davis basket with ten minutes to play.
Trenese Smith scored on the Wolfpack’s ensuing possession to give Loyola the lead for good.
Three point shooting kept the Lady Pilots in the contest, but the Wolfpack held off the visitors down the stretch. Garkeiva Council converted a pair of free throws with 15 seconds remaining to seal the 69-61 victory.
Trenese Smith led the way for Loyola with 16 points. Lauren Pryer added 13 points with Trenell Smith and Garkeiva Council each scoring 11. Rachael Nolan rounded out Loyola’s leading scorers with ten points.
The Wolfpack finished the game shooting 43.4% from the field (23 of 53). The Wolfpack (10-5, 6-1 GCAC) made a living at the line, outscoring the Lady Pilots from the charity stripe 20-4. With the win, the Wolfpack grabbed a share of first place in the GCAC.
LSU-Shreveport’s Janai Sells scored a game high 18 points. Whitney Hollins added 14 as the only other Lady Pilot to score in double figures. The Lady Pilots hit 43.6% from field (24 of 55), including 40.9% from above the three point arc (9 of 22).
A back and forth first half saw six ties and six lead changes. The Wolfpack took the largest lead of the period as a Lauren Pryer lay-in made the score 19-11 Loyola with 8:04 left.
The Lady Pilots came back to tie it twice more in the half, but the Wolfpack ended up with a 32-30 lead at the break.
*Story Courtesy of the Loyola Sports Information Department
