Women’s head basketball coach DoBee Plaisance told her team that if they ever plan to quit, then they would never plan to succeed.
The team never planned to quit.
It finally paid off when the team earned its first conference win of the season against Tougaloo on Feb. 15 in the Den.
In the 58-47 victory, the ‘Pack quickly fell behind 6-2 but went on a 13-0 run to take a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.
Loyola’s defense prevented Tougaloo from scoring for over eight minutes of play.
Management senior Melissa St. Mary, who had 17 points on the night, said the team played together and used extra pressure to hold down the Bulldog offense.
“Everybody did well that game,” she said. “We played team ball. The press really got it going for us.”
Carlee White, political science junior, had 10 points and seven rebounds. She agreed that pressure was the reason the Wolfpack was able to get the win.
“It was such a relief after the game to get that win. It was passed due,” she said. “We dominated and forced them into a lot of turnovers.”
Stacia Jackson, communications sophomore, led everyone with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
According to Plaisance, low shooting percentages have been the chief cause in several of Loyola’s losses this season.
Against Tougaloo, the team shot 47 percent.
“We did nothing different,” Plaisance said. “We’ve been in every game. I’ve had several coaches tell me we should have won. But shooting percentage has been our downfall. Our better percentage is very indicative of the win.”
After defeating Tougaloo, the Wolfpack (2-26, 1-13) dropped its next three conference games.
The ‘Pack fell one shot short of garnering its second conference win Saturday in a 58-55 loss to Belhaven.
White, who finished with 13 points and nine rebounds, had a shot with under 10 seconds to play in regulation and the ‘Pack trailing 56-55.
But her attempt fell a little short and Belhaven scored a last-second layup to seal the victory.
“One possession doesn’t make or break the ballgame,” Plaisance said. “We missed other layups and free-throws down the stretch. White’s shot didn’t lose it for us.”
The ‘Pack suffered two 20-point losses to Mobile and Spring Hill.
Plaisance remains proud of the team’s effort and recognizes the youth of her squad.
“We’re freshmen and sophomores. The kids haven’t quit in any game. That would be easy to do. But they haven’t.”
