On Saturday, the Loyola women’s basketball team fell to the Bethel University Wildcats 54-57.
After a win against the University of Mobile on Thursday, the Wolf Pack squad looked to take their momentum to Bethel. With Loyola being ranked No. 20 in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics standings and Bethel ranked No. 21, the game was expected to be highly heated and competitive.
The Wolf Pack started off with quick strides, but Bethel took the lead late into the second quarter and from then on, Loyola had to play catch-up ball.
Freshman guard Paige Franckiewicz and senior forward Meghan Temple were the leaders of the team. Franckiewicz led the team in scoring with 14 points, while Temple recorded 12 points, five rebounds and three blocks.
It was Bethel’s Brandi Goodman and her efforts off the bench that shut down Loyola. Goodman recorded a game-high 25 points and eight rebounds for the Wildcats.
In the fourth quarter, Loyola was within three points of tying the game with less than 10 seconds remaining. Failure to foul on time and missing the potential game-tying shot gave Bethel the win and the top spot in the conference.
