The women’s basketball team tearfully held up their runners-up plaque, as the gym full of ‘Pack fans cheered words of encouragement after the heartbreaking 65-64 loss to Xavier in the conference tournament championship.

“(Xavier) wasn’t just going to come here and lay down. Obviously they wanted the same thing we wanted, so, we expected them to come in and play hard,” management sophomore Trenell Smith said.

The tournament kicked off on March 6 with the ‘Pack’s 66-58 tough win against Dillard in the quarterfinals of the tournament.

“I was glad to get out of that game with a win,” head coach Dobee Plaisance said. “Dillard came on with a very aggressive press and we were not making good decisions with that press, so that really turned into quite a ballgame.”

Next up for Loyola was the tournament semifinal against William Carey. After management sophomore Trenese Smith’s three-point shot at the beginning of the game, the women managed to follow suit and strike a huge lead going into halftime at 44-23.

William Carey fan Susan Gilmore, mother to the Lady Crusaders’ Sarah Gilmore, thought it was unlikely for Carey to turn the game around. “The Wolfpack is really getting down on offense and William Carey’s not playing good defense at all,” she said.

And she was right. The second half against the Lady Crusaders saw good bucket contributions from the bench due to English writing freshman Rachael Nolan’s and psychology pre-med freshman Ndia Hall’s solid offense. Also, Trenell Smith’s first career triple-double gave the team their record-breaking 26th win of this season, with their final score, 96-71, taking them to the semifinals.

Plaisance and assistant coach Alton Clivens agreed that the win was attributed to their ability to focus on and execute the team’s defensive plan. However, Hall believes it was also about something more personal.

“It was teamwork and a team effort that got us this win,” Hall said. “We work really well together as a team on and off the court so I think when you’re together off the court, it brings you together on the court.”

Trenese Smith agrees.

“We are a family. We’re really close.”

The self-proclaimed “underrated” No. 15-ranked Lady ‘Pack went into the conference finals against Xavier with all smiles and no nerves.

In Tuesday’s match, the women gained a 10-point advantage over Xavier due to psychology pre-med senior Kim Rigg’s layup with about 3.3 seconds left in the first half of the game. But Xavier fought hard and rallied to try to catch up to the ‘Pack at halftime, falling short six points at 26 to Loyola’s 33.

But the Lady Nuggets came back faster, stronger and more aggressive in the second half as they tied the game twice at 57-57 and 59-59. With 45 seconds left on the clock, Trenese Smith scored a basket, after which Xavier scored two more – which left Xavier right behind at 63-64.

In the heated last 30 seconds of the game, the excited ‘Pack fans cheered as Trenell Smith gained control of the ball and tried to buy time by dribbling the ball to win the championship. But Xavier wasn’t having that, and as they charged toward Smith in bulk from all angles of the court, the sophomore guard was pressured into throwing the ball to one of her teammates who wasn’t there to catch the pass.

The ball went out of bounds with 15 seconds left, giving Xavier the advantage of getting possession and making one last shot from No. 22 Shayla Boyd to win the game and the 2008 conference championship 65-64.

“It was such a sad loss to a really intense game,” said mass communication sophomore Jessica Perrault, who attended the game. “My heart goes out to all the players.”

Fans for the ‘Pack screamed words of encouragement as Xavier excitedly accepted their trophy and title, the very same title Loyola won last year, as they danced in the center of the court yelling chants of praise.

A tearful Kiely Schork, mass communication senior, offered her reflection on the game.

“It really sucks to end my last game at Loyola as a loss, but it was a great hard fought game. We played hard, and that’s all you can ask for.”

“It’s very disappointing because we really work hard,” Trenese Smith said, her voice quivering, “But everything happens for a reason, so, maybe this happened to get us ready for the national tournament. So, we just have to take it for what is it.”

“We’re disappointed about the outcome, but certainly not the efforts of our team,” an optimistic Plaisance said. “We’re very proud of them and we’re looking forward to moving on to nationals.”

They will go to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics National Championship Tournament from March 19-25 in Jackson, Tenn. to close out what the players are saying is one of their best seasons to date.

“We’ve had our highs and lows, but overall, it’s been a great season,” Rigg said.

“We couldn’t ask for more. We’re making history.”

Briana Prevost can be reached at [email protected].

In the background the media collapses on the conference champions, Xavier, as Trenese Smith, management sophomore, contemplates her team’s 65-64 loss. (Andrea Castillo)