Despite leading 36-28 at halftime, the Wolfpack could not hold off red-hot Xavier on Wednesday night in the Den.
The 74-64 loss snapped Loyola’s three-game winning streak and dropped the Wolfpack’s record to 12-10 for the season and 3-5 in Gulf Coast Athletic Conference play.
The win gave Xavier Goldrush their 17th straight victory and improved its record to 19-1 overall and 8-0 in conference.
It was a tale of two halves as Loyola could not keep its hot shooting going in the second half and the Goldrush turned a poor-shooting first half into a sizzling second half.
Even general studies sophomore Kiely Schork, who went into the game shooting 40 percent from 3-point range, went cold, shooting only 1-8 from downtown for the game.
Coach DoBee Plaisance gave all the credit to Xavier for outplaying the ‘Pack in the second half.
“They’re a great team who is ranked in the top ten in the nation,” she said. Plaisance said she if the team had played the second half like they had in the first half they would have won.
“We played hard,” she said. “We needed to play the second half like we played the first half. We didn’t do some of the things that we expect to do.”
The ‘Pack’s defense was not able to stop top scorer Jarryn Cleaves from scoring 17 points. She led the Goldrush rally in the second half by converting five of seven shots from behind the arc.
Finance sophomore Marjorie Bilinski was the only member of the ‘Pack to hit double-digits, scoring a career-high 28 points.
She was 10 of 19 from the field and eight of 11 from the free throw line. Bilinski also grabbed four rebounds.
Dani Holland, criminal justice sophomore, chipped in with nine points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead all players. Joelle Bordelon, sociology senior, led the team with five assists and added six points to the scoring column.
Before Wednesday night’s setback, the ‘Pack enjoyed an undefeated road trip. On this six-day, three-game road trip, the team defeated Belhaven College 75-62, edged LSU-Shreveport 68-64 and trounced William Carey College 59-38.
During that streak, Plaisance praised the ‘Pack’s defense. After the LSU-Shreveport win, she said, “We followed through with the defensive game plan to a tee. I was very happy about that.”
Last Thursday, the Wolfpack edged LSU-Shreveport by four, 68-64.
The team stormed ahead 10-3 in the early minutes but could not maintain the momentum going into halftime as LSU-Shreveport led 35-28 going into the second half.
Loyola quickly seized control of the game back from the Lady Pilots, as they rattled off a 14-2 scoring run to take a 42-37 advantage. The Pilots stayed in close range for most of the second half but never retook the lead.
LSU-Shreveport’s Dyamond Hogg had a chance to tie the game late, with the score 67-64, but her 3-point attempt missed and was rebounded by Bilinski, who was then sent to the foul line, where she iced the game.
Bilinski had a stellar second half, leading the ‘Pack charge with 15 second half points. She finished with a game-high 22.
Bordelon had 11 points and six assists, and Holland chimed in with 16 points and seven rebounds.
The reason for the Wolfpack’s improved play in the second half was simple, Plaisance said.
“Shooting percentage was easily the difference,” Plaisance said. “The shots that weren’t falling in the first half fell in the second half.”
On Saturday afternoon, the Wolfpack traveled to Hattiesburg, where they soundly defeated William Carey, 59-38.
Bilinski followed up her 22-point effort with 16 in this contest, with seven boards and three steals. Holland controlled the glass with 14 rebounds. Schork led all scorers with 18 points, all coming from her six 3-point buckets.
Schork is hitting 40 percent of her threes on the season, and her offensive game causes great problems for opposing defenses.
“Defenses are really pressuring Kiely, and she’s responding. She’s really opening up her game, and (she’s) such a versatile player,” Plaisance said. “She’s certainly recognized as a scoring threat across our league.”
Even when not bombing threes from long range and scoring in bunches, Schork’s presence on the floor this season has made things easier for the ‘Pack offensively.
“When teams key on her so hard, she’s so intelligent and unselfish, it opens things up for everyone,” Plaisance said. “It’s huge for us.”
The Wolfpack’s bench added 14 points in the win, which Plaisance was extremely proud of, deeming it a major boost.
“That’s something we’ve been looking for. It was a total team effort,” she said.
The winning-streak, which spanned Jan.17 to Jan. 23, saw Marjorie Bilinski average 17 points on 66 percent shooting and grab an average of 6.7 rebounds. She was given the honor of GCAC Player of the Week.
The women’s basketball next game is against Tougaloo College tomorrow in the Den at 5 p.m. Loyola will remain home to host William Carey College on Feb. 14.
Ryan Saucier can be reached at [email protected].
Ryan Arena can be reached at [email protected].
