By Rich Conforti Assistant Sports Editor
Led by sophomore Miriam McKenzie, the Loyola Greyhounds womenís basketball team opened their season with a perfect 2-0 record with victories over La Salle and Army.
McKenzie wasted no time becoming familiar with the starting lineup, scoring 23 points in a season-opening 69-55 win over La Salle at Tom Gola Arena. Mckenzie would score 18 of her points in the first half, leading Loyola to a 13-point lead at the break.
McKenzie was near perfect from the field in her first career start, going 9-10 while also tallying five rebounds. McKenzie was one of four Loyola players who scored in double digits, joining Meredith Tolley (11 points), Kaitlin Grant (19), and Erica DiClemente (14), all of whom were in double figures.
As a team, Loyola was one step ahead of the Explorers, shooting a remarkable 51% from the field as a team. The Hounds proved to be too strong defensively for La Salle, as they were able to steal the ball 10 times, five of which were recorded by Grant.
Grant finished the game with a very strong stat line in which she tallied 19 points and seven rebounds to go along with her five steals and five assists. Grant was also perfect from the line, hitting all nine of her attempts.
The duo of McKenzie and Grant proved to be too much for the Explorers, something that opponents of the Hounds may find themselves struggling with all season long.
For La Salle, forward Morgan Robertson led the way with 12 points and six rebounds in the losing effort.
On Sunday Nov 14, the Hounds defeated the Army Black Knights, a talented opponent coming off of a 19-win season. Just as they had done in their previous game, the Hounds relied on McKenzie to lead the way on the offensive end, supplemented by a strong team defensive effort.
"Its been a team effort, and we have been doing the things coach has been teaching us," said McKenzie.
McKenzie would once again lead all scorers with 21 points to go along with her 10 rebounds on the afternoon. McKenzie struggled to find the bottom of the net early, but would eventually settle into a groove. McKenzie credits the success to her ability to move on to the next shot no matter what the situation.
"With her its great, she has a short term memory, sheís going to keep shooting, and sheís going to take some bad shots," said coach Joe Logan. "She's learning, and its not just her shooting, her defense and rebounding has been huge for us as well."
Next up for Loyola is a matchup against another service academy, as they travel to Annapolis, MD to face off against the Midshipmen in the Navy Classic on Nov 20th at 7 pm.
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