Redemption can seem the sweetest at the most unlikely times. The Loyola Women's basketball squad found their redemption by snapping their five-game losing streak by taking down the Golden Griffins 72-71 in an overtime thriller in Buffalo.
The Hounds were able to capture their fifth win in the MAAC conference by putting together a game-winning layup from veteran Kaitlin Grant with 4 ticks left on the clock. As Coach Logan had expressed during the losing streak, the team was able to play like an older team and play with a greater sense of urgency for a longer period of time in the contest.
After leading by eight points with five minutes left in the second period, it appeared that this sense of urgency would again not stand up to the test. Canisius cut the lead on several foul shots, after Loyola committed costly fouls.
Evened at 58 with 1:42 left, McKenzie nailed a long jumper and determined to terminate the game in regulation. Ironically, McKenzie's free throw miss with just 30 seconds left kept the Griffins' chances alive. The Griffins got a foul call on Katie Sheahin and converted both free throws from Brittane Russell. Heading into overtime, the Hounds knew that they had to deliver to get a win. It didn't appear that the Hounds were ready to deliver as their three-point lead turned into a two-point deficit on back-to-back three's from Canisius. It was the crafty sophomore McKenzie, who had missed several crucial shots in previous games that finally came through for Loyola as her three- point attempt found the nylon and gave Loyola a one-point advantage. After a pair of free throws from the Golden Griffith's, Loyola's Coach Logan whipped up a scoring play on a timeout to break the frustration of losing.
McKenzie penetrated into the lane and looked ready to shoot again, but fed a knife-cutting pass to Grant underneath whose layup gave the Hounds the lead and eventually the win. Canisius' Ellie Radke led all scorers with 21 points, and McKenzie led Loyola with 20 points and 10 boards. The Hounds also got a big production from Grant as her game-winning shot was two of her 16 points.
Intensity is a strong word.
It creates heart, it creates passion, and it can propel a team to overcome obstacles en route to becoming the victor. The Loyola Women's basketball team began their battle with St. Peter's with this intensity but fell prey to costly mistakes at the end of the contest and dropping the tough fought game 57-53 on Monday night at Reitz Arena.
The Hounds began the contest exhibiting a desire to forgo their faults of the past and get back on track. A quick glimpse to the Loyola bench saw Coach Joe Logan displaying fiery traits similar to that of University of Connecticut Coach Geno Auriemma. The attempt to ignite a spark in the offense proved unsuccessful as the Peahens press confused Loyola and caused them to commit turnovers from ill-advised passes.
With 7:41 left in the first half, St. Peter's led 25-17 after several big shots from the hot hand of Natasha Morris. Loyola would not go down in the first half without a fight: after a fade-away three-pointer by Miriam McKenzie, and a layup capped by a nice steal from Katie Sheahin put the Hounds within reach at 3, 27-24.
The visiting squad took a timeout, regrouped then deterred Loyola's hopes by completing a 6-0 run and the lead at 33-24. The half ended with a 39-28 Peahen lead and the shooting of Morris scorched the nylon as she finished with 17 points on 5-9 shooting from the floor.
The decisive part of the game came with just under nine minutes remaining when Loyola's Kaitlin Grant intercepted a pass, and then went coast-to-coast on the floor as the driving layup evened the scored at 49 points. As both teams traded baskets, the score would eventually become tied again at 53 with 4 minutes remaining on the game clock.
Just when it appeared that the Hounds would break free from their recent woes, a layup attempt off of a steal was denied as a St. Peter's defender got a hand on the ball and kept the evened score intact. As the Peahens got the ball on offense again, they converted one of two shots from the line and nursed their tight lead.
Several more mistakes on offense ensued as McKenzie's shot attempt spun in and out and a questionable travelling call called on Grant would prove to be the deciding factor as the Peahens came out of Baltimore, Maryland with a 57-53 win after three more foul shots.
Despite her blistering first half, Morris finished the game with 18 points, just one point in the second half. Loyola's McKenzie finished with a game high 19 points. Freshmen Katie Sheahin had a breakout game with 13 points and 6 rebounds. Loyola will look to continue their momentum when they play Niagara, Iona, and Rider this week.
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