No. 10 Loyola women win at William Carey, 76-61

The 10th-ranked Wolf Pack women’s basketball team claimed their 11th conference win in Hattiesburg, returning to The Den on Saturday with an 18-1 overall record

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The No. 10 Loyola Wolf Pack women’s basketball team maintained their position atop the Southern States Athletic Conference standings on Thursday, defeating William Carey on the road, 76-61. The win moves Loyola to 18-1 overall and 11-1 in league play, and it holds a two-game lead over second-place Faulkner.

Loyola is set to return to The Den this weekend, hosting Mobile for an SSAC contest at 12 p.m. The program will honor the 2021-22 SSAC Champions women’s basketball team prior to tip-off, and the game is a part of Loyola Athletics’ Wolf Pack Hall of Fame festivities.

Kennedy Hansberry and Taylor Thomas got the Wolf Pack off to a fast start, each making 3-pointers in the first 70 seconds of the game. After two Sandra Cannady free throws, Hansberry scored a 2-point field goal and another 3 to put Loyola ahead 13-4 three-plus minutes into the game. William Carey, however, fought back to cut the score to 15-14 four minutes later. Scores by Tay Cannon and Thomas allowed the Pack to take a 19-17 advantage into the second quarter.

The Crusaders got a 3-pointer to fall in the early going of the second quarter to take their first lead of the game, 20-19, but an old-fashioned 3-point play for Hansberry quickly put Loyola back in front, 22-20. The two teams traded the lead four more times and the score was tied four more before Loyola could take its 36-32 lead into the break. Hansberry scored six more points off two 3s during that stretch, bringing her first-half total to 19, and Jazmene McMillan added four.

Hansberry started the second half with a couple of free throws, then Thomas hit a 3-pointer to make it a 41-32 lead two minutes into the third quarter. Thomas scored another to push the lead to 11, and Tera Snell kept it a double-digit lead, 47-37, a couple of minutes later. The Crusaders closed the quarter on a 9-3 run, though, making it a 50-46 score entering the final frame.

Cannady scored five early points in the fourth to push the lead to 56-49, and from there, Loyola continued to add to its lead. Hansberry and Sydni Tangle hit consecutive 3s, then Tangle added another from long range after two Cannady free throws, 67-51. McMillan kept it a 15-point game, 69-54, and six free throws by Thomas late in the quarter effectively ended the game.

Pack Facts
• Kennedy Hansberry had her best scoring game of the season, pouring in 24 points, making 8-of-13 shots from the field 5-of-7 from deep with four rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
• Hansberry’s five three-pointers were the most in any game of her career.
• Moving into fourth place in Loyola’s record book in career assists, Hansberry is now at 430 career dimes. She needs 10 more to move into third.
• Judging by shooting percentage, it was the Wolf Pack’s overall best three-point shooting game of the season. The team combined to make double-digit three-pointers for just the third time this season, going 10-for-19 (53%) from behind the arc.
• Taylor Thomas was second in scoring, ending the game with 16 points. She was also 2-of-5 from distance.
• Sandra Cannady was the third double-figure scorer for the Pack on Thursday, putting up 11 points and eight rebounds. Thomas and Cannady each got a game-high three steals.
• The game was the 12th this season in which Loyola players combined for at least 10 steals.
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