Losses continue to pile up for LC
Pete Theis
Issue date: 2/5/08 Section: Sports
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Staff Writer
The Loyola women's basketball team played two teams in the upper echelon of the conference last week, Iona and St. Peter's, and proved they are nowhere near the level of the Gaels and Peahens. The Hounds, losers of 10 of their last 11 games, were blown out by Iona and didn't fare much better on the road against Saint Peter's.
There are no moral victories in college basketball, but for a team looking for any type of victory, the Hounds will take what they can get. The Greyhounds had the game against St. Peter's down to two in the waning minutes of the game on a layup by sophomore Erica DiClemente, but the Peahens took advantage of two crucuial Loyola turnovers and won by five, 62-57.
"We played hard, and we did a good job of cutting their lead, but we could not make it all the way back," head coach Joe Logan said. "We made some sloppy turnovers late."
With St. Peter's seemingly in control in the latter stages of the second half, Loyola bit down on defense and kept the Peahens to four points over a six-minute stretch. However, Lauma Reke, who led St. Peter's with 17 points, ended the drought with a layup and the young Greyhounds proceeded to lose their mental grip. After Johnell Burts' two free throws, the Peahens had a 59-53 lead and the game was finished from the charity stripe.
Loyola got out to a slow start in the game, falling behind by 11, but senior Tynisha Davis and sophomore Kaitlin Grant brought Loyola to within four points. The Peahens, however, responded and seemed to have the game in control, but the Hounds were still hanging around at halftime, 31-27.
The game continued in that manner in the second half, but the Peahens had just enough to pull it out and send Loyola to another loss.
Grant led Loyola with 12 points, and junior Siobhan Prior had 11.
"We tried something different (in the starting lineup), and everyone played well with it," Logan said. "Erica had been in a little bit of a slump, but she stepped up today and hit some big shots."
Loyola never found any momentum against the Gaels en route to their then-fifth consecutive loss by an overwhelming score of 90-68 on Thursday evening at Reitz Arena. The loss was their second to the Gaels in just over a week, and marked the first time in six years the Gaels swept the Hounds in the regular season. The Greyhounds (8-12, 3-7 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) continue to struggle, especially on the defensive end, without the presence of senior leader Meghan Wood, who is expected to return next week.
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