Cold 3rd quarter sinks AUM women in SSAC hoops tourney
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (aumathletics.com) — Despite holding a seven-point halftime advantage, the No. 3 seed Auburn Montgomery women’s basketball team could not recover from being outscored 25-12 in the third quarter by second-seeded Loyola in a 66-62 loss in the Southern States Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals Friday.
NOTES
• The loss dropped the Warhawks to 23-9 on the season.
• Loyola improved to 22-7 overall and will take on No. 4 seed Martin Methodist in the championship game Saturday afternoon.
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
• Jatoria Carter notched her sixth 30-point game of the season, finishing with 32 points for the second time in the tournament. The Montgomery native added seven assists, five steals and five rebounds.
• Reggotta Craig added 12 points and eight rebounds.
• Tatyana Darden came off the bench and set a career high with eight points, all of which came in the second quarter.
• Marren Schwartz contributed four points and six rebounds.
• Adrianne Sloboh posted a double-double for Loyola, finishing with team highs of 23 points and 12 rebounds.
• Zoie Miller and Jackie Anderson scored 12 points each for the Wolf Pack.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Warhawks opened the game with a 9-3 run, only to see the Wolf Pack battle back to tie the score at 11-11 on a Sloboh basket with 1:37 remaining in the first quarter. Loyola took a one-point advantage on a free throw with 1:08left in the quarter, but Carter sank two free throws in the final seconds to give AUM a 13-12 advantage after one period.
• After Loyola took a three-point lead, 16-13, early in the second quarter, the Warhawks outscored the Wolf Pack 16-6 and took a 29-22 lead to the intermission. Darden keyed the spurt with eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers.
• AUM maintained a five-point advantage, 33-28, in the opening 2:37 of the third quarter, but Loyola closed the period with a 19-8 run and took a 47-41 lead after three quarters.
• Loyola upped its lead to a game-high 14 points on a trey by Anderson, making the score 55-41.
• Carter followed with 14 straight points for AUM during a 14-5 run, pulling the Warhawks to within five points, 60-55, with 4:11 remaining.
• Carter’s fourth 3-pointer of the game trimmed the deficit to 65-62 with nine seconds remaining.
• Loyola missed 3-of-4 free throws in the final nine seconds, but an offensive rebound by Sloboh kept possession with the Wolf Pack and preserved the victory.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• The Warhawks shot just 33.3 percent from the floor, hitting 22-of-66 attempts. AUM made nine 3-pointers, and converted 9-of-10 free throws.
• The Wolf Pack converted 26-of-62 shots from the field, including 5-of-20 from distance. Loyola made just 9-of-23 free throw attempts.
• AUM forced 17 turnovers, compared to committing just 12. However, the Wolf Pack held a 14-7 advantage in points off turnovers.
• Loyola outscored the Warhawks 36-16 in the paint.
• On the boards, the Wolf Pack held a commanding 48-33 advantage, including 15-8 on the offensive end. Loyola held a 15-3 lead in second-chance points.
• The Wolf Pack’s bench outscored the Warhawks 39-9.
UP NEXT
• The Warhawks will await the unveiling of the NAIA Tournament field, which will be announced on Wednesday, March 9.
