Though Loyola’s women fell victim to a 94-50 shellacking by the Lady Green Wave of Tulane, the men nearly avenged their loss in the second round of Tuesday’s Battle of Freret Street, losing by a slim 66-53 margin.
LOYOLA’S WOMEN LOSE 94-50
Suffering another pre-conference loss to neighboring rivals Tulane, Loyola’s Lady Wolfpack shows promise for future NAIA games. The Wolfpack lost 94-50 at Tulane’s Fogelman Arena, leaving them 2-5. By the end of the game, they were shooting 50 percent.
The bulk of the evening’s points came from psychology pre-med center Kimberly Rigg, who scored 19 points. She hauled down five rebounds and grabbed three steals. Her impressive plays, including several side-court shots, helped maintain some offensive prowess.
Rigg, a transfer from the University of Southern Mississippi, had the benefit of facing old rivals.
“I played them before at Southern Miss. They’re a pretty strong post.” Rigg said of Tulane. Nursing an injury, Rigg still managed to play well.
“I was pleased with (Rigg). She just came out of surgery, but I know she is capable of playing like that any night,” Coach Dobee Plaisance said.
Trenese and Trenell Smith, twin psychology sophomores, each added eight points, seemingly out of character for both players, who led the ‘Pack’s offense during high-pressure games like LSU and Cumberland University.
The first half left Loyola pretty sore, with only 17 points to Tulane’s 50; that sour taste was enough to pull them up in the second.
A number of transitional errors, especially during the first half, wasn’t doing the job; their dribble-and-stop technique gave Tulane’s defense the advantage. Realizing the need for a stronger offense, Loyola recovered slightly.
“You have to learn from your mistakes. We started out sluggish, some transitional problems, but we played hard in the second half,” Rigg said.
Tulane, like the rest of the expositional games Loyola has played, are important in emphasizing what skills need work and where their strengths lie.
“Our turnovers in the first half and our inability to stop transitions dug us into a hole,” Coach Dobee Plaisanse said.
The girls will spend their holiday weekend in Jackson, Tenn., representing Loyola against Lambuth University on Friday, November 24th at 2:00 p.m at the Union University Thanksgiving Classic.
MEN NEARLY AVENGE THE LOSS
Coach Giorlando’s squad traded baskets with Tulane for the entire game, never letting the Green Wave establish a commanding lead in the game’s entirety.
Loyola led twice in the early minutes of the game after a three-point basket from history sophomore guard Torry Beaulieu and a lay-up from accounting senior James Bunn.
Loyola, down 39-34 on what looked like it would the first half’s last possession, had a chance to enter the break down by just two. General business freshman Nick Tuszynski misfed a pass to the post – Tulane’s Ryan Williams sped down the court and jammed down a buzzer-beating dunk.
The Green Wave’s height ultimately proved Loyola undoing – they outscored the Wolfpack 34-18 in the paint and their bench support outscored Loyola’s 35-8.
Bunn led Loyola’s scorers with 17 points and psychology junior guard Luke Zumo added 13 points in the effort.
For more coverage on the men’s game, read the accompanying “X’s and O’s.”
