MONTGOMERY, Ala. – For the first time since joining the Southern States Athletic Conference, the Lady Crusaders are heading to the SSAC Championship title game after knocking off No. 1 seed Loyola University, 69–61, on Friday afternoon.
Just 21 seconds in,
Jenna Garriga drilled a three to ignite the Crusader bench, and moments later
Meyah Doyle picked off a pass and raced coast-to-coast for a 5–0 start that set the tone for the day.
Loyola answered with a three from Deniya Thornton at the 7:33 mark, but Carey continued to control the quarter. Steady scoring from
Bailey Devall,
Leah Sutton, and
Anna Rose Engle pushed the lead to 16–8 with two minutes left. The Wolf Pack closed strong with four straight points to trim the deficit to 16–12 after one.
The offenses picked up pace in the second quarter. After Loyola's Tiarra McPipe sank two free throws,
Alyssa Hillard responded immediately with a three-pointer to keep the Crusaders in front. Loyola mounted a brief surge, tying the game at 21–21 behind three consecutive baskets from SeQuoia Carroll.
Madelyn Ladner and
Brooklyn Cuevas steadied the offense before Hillard and
Addyson Sherer closed the half with back-to-back daggers from deep, sending Carey into the locker room up 32–24.
Loyola struck quickly out of halftime as Alissa O'Dell converted a three-point play and Chandler Caver followed with a three to cut the margin to 34–30. But every time the Wolf Pack approached, Carey shoved them back. Layups from Ladner and Garriga steadied Carey, and a Garriga three at the 6:27 mark extended the lead to 41–32. With three minutes left in the third, Cuevas knocked down a deep ball to make it 48–35, though Loyola clawed back to within 49–43 entering the final quarter.
Sherer opened the fourth with a three-pointer, stretching the lead to nine. Loyola responded with long-range shooting of its own, but Engle's timely three kept the Crusaders in control. The Wolf Pack made one final run, pulling within 55–53 with under six minutes remaining after a Travis three. Carey regrouped and delivered a decisive 7–0 run punctuated by Ladner's layup at the 3:39 mark, restoring a 62–53 cushion.
Doyle then delivered a deep three at 1:58 to extend the lead to 65–56, and Cuevas iced the outcome at the free-throw line—draining four straight, including two following a technical foul—to secure the 69–61 victory.
Cuevas led the Lady Crusaders with 13 points, while Ladner and Garriga each added 10.
With the win, William Carey advances to the SSAC Championship game, where they will face UT-Southern on Saturday, February 28, at 4:00 p.m. at the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl.
