While the school year was in the midst of winter break, the Loyola women’s basketball team was on a different sort of break – a record-breaking win streak.
The Wolfpack (12-5, 3-3 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference) won a school-record nine games in a row and has now won 12 games for the season, just two shy of the overall school record for wins in a season. The ‘Pack only won two conference games all of last year.
The streak included two wins over NCAA Division I schools Birmingham Southern and Nicholls State.
As opposed to last year when the team only won its final two conference games, Loyola, this year, won its first two, defeating Belhaven College and LSU-Shreveport. The ‘Pack then defeated Southern University New Orleans for its third conference win of the season.
“Basically, it was just us clicking,” said finance freshman Marjorie Bilinski. “We were playing our game. We weren’t focusing on that (the record) but we’re excited to be coming in here and changing things.”
“I feel like we’ve always had a confidence that we could be as good as we wanted to be,” said general studies freshman Kiely Schork. “We took it (the streak) one game at a time and were able to get on a streak. We don’t look at it as we broke this record or that record. We just want to do our best and keep being successful.”
Recently, the team has struggled, losing three of the last four conference games, including two in a row.
Against William Carey College, the ‘Pack scored fewer points, 41, in the game than the Crusaders scored in the first half, 42.
In the following game against Xavier, which is ranked number 16 in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, the team took a four-point halftime lead but could not hold it in the second half, falling 70-64.
“I think the game against William Carey made us realize that every team is a good team, and every game will be tough,” Schork said. “Now, we’re ready to step it up every game and attack the other team.”
Said Bilinski: “Our shooting was off (against Carey). It was a horrible game. Against Xavier, we should have pulled out a win. But I think we’re ready to get back to winning.”
Schork leads the entire NAIA with 72 three- point field goals made on the season, an average of just over four per game. She is averaging 15 points per game, which puts her at fifth in the conference.
Criminal justice sophomore Dani Holland leads the GCAC in rebounds, averaging 9.2 per game.
Sociology junior Joelle Bordelon leads the conference in assists with seven per game. Bordelon is second in the nation in assists; Holland is sixth in rebounds.
