With two straight wins to finish the conference season, the Loyola women’s basketball team was gaining confidence and momentum.
But whatever steam the team picked up heading into the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference tournament at the Alario Center, it quickly evaporated at the hands of Tougaloo in a 59-50 play-in game defeat.
“SUNO was a great win at home and William Carey was a great win on the road to end the season,” said head coach DoBee Plaisance.
“And we had beaten Tougaloo the last time we played them. But I don’t think we were overconfident. We went into other game prepared. We wanted to win but nothing flowed.”
After defeating Tougaloo 57-48 on Feb. 15, the Wolfpack had confidence that it could win its first tournament contest. The Bulldogs, however, went on a 20-2 run in the second half to pull away from the ‘Pack.
“We didn’t start playing until the last five minutes of the game,” Plaisance said. “We couldn’t get into any kind of rhythm.”
Carlee White, political science junior, led the team with a double-double (16 points, 11 rebounds).
The Wolfpack finished the season with a 4-27 record.
The ‘Pack’s two-game winning streak started with a 91-82 victory of SUNO in its homecoming game.
Loyola broke an 82-82 tie in the final minutes and scored the final eight points. That run was part of a 23-5 spurt in the final 5:10 that began with the team trailing 77-68.
“Our defensive intensity set the tempo for the game,” Plaisance said. “We didn’t want to let another close game slip by. We upped the ante on defense. Plus, we had balanced scoring. And a balanced attack usually equates to a win.”
Stacia Jackson, communications sophomore, led the Wolfpack with 20 points. Biology sophomore Joelle Bordelon scored 14 points, including eight in the final 5:10. Melissa St. Mary, management senior, added 18 points for Loyola.
White, who finished with 12 points, scored her 1,000th career point early in the game.
Just three days later, the ‘Pack defeated William Carey, 67-56, on the road. Jackson led the team in scoring again, with 23 points. Bordelon and St. Mary had 15 and 11, respectively.
But the momentum did not carry over as the Wolfpack made an early exit in the GCAC tournament.
The team began the season by losing its first 13 games before defeating Oakwood College 71-28.
Despite then losing its first ten conference games, Loyola did finish its schedule on a more positive note, winning three of its final six games.
Despite winning only four games all year, Plaisance remains proud that her team never gave up and continued to put forth effort the entire year.
“We had a brutal preseason schedule,” she said. “But we hung in there. Except for maybe two games, we had a chance to win every game we played in. If we could have 10 possessions back, we could have a few more wins. The effort was there all season.”
She also has high hopes for the future.
“I’m always optimistic. I just want to win. I’m committed to building a winning program. I’m hoping to have a strong freshmen class. We only have one senior this season (St. Mary) and we have the rest of the team coming back.”
Carlee White (55) does her best to ensure a Homecoming victory for the ’Pack against SUNO. After holding off the Knights and William Carey, Loyola lost its first tourney game. (Ignacio Chacon)
