BALTIMORE - The Loyola University Maryland women's basketball team fell behind in the first half and was unable to make up the deficit, as William & Mary earned a 65-49 victory in the Greyhounds' home opener Saturday afternoon at Reitz Arena.
 
Junior Alexis Gray tied a game-high of 14 points, while classmate Stephanie Karcz added nine points and game-highs of seven rebounds, five assists and five steals. Sophomore Isabella Therien also finished with nine points and added six rebounds.
 
William & Mary (2-1 overall) was led by Bianca Boggs' 14 points and Victoria Reynolds' 10 points and six rebounds.
 
The Tribe scored the first five points of the game but Therien connected from downtown to spark a 7-2 Greyhound run that knotted the score at 7-7. William & Mary answered with its own 7-0 run, which junior Hannah Niles halted with 1:52 to play in the first quarter.
 
William & Mary had another 7-0 run though that stretched its lead to 21-9 at the 8:55 mark of the second quarter. Gray's floater at 8:49 sparked a 10-4 run that pulled Loyola within six, at 25-19, but the Tribe closed out the half by scoring 10 of the final 13 points to take a 35-22 lead into the break.
 
Loyola (0-4) battled its way back in the third quarter, as the Greyhounds scored six of the first eight points to pull within nine, 37-28, on Niles' trey at the at the 7:29 mark. The Greyhounds found themselves within nine again at the 4:12 mark on Karcz's layup, but William & Mary worked its lead back to 16, 48-32, with a seven-point run.
 
Free throws from Gray and senior Bri Betz-White cut Loyola's deficit to 13 heading into the fourth quarter, but that would be as close as Loyola would get, as William & Mary outscored the Greyhounds, 17-14, in the fourth quarter to come away with the victory.
 
The Greyhounds will now have a week to prepare for their next game, as they travel to Philadelphia for the Saint Joseph's Hawk Classic next weekend. Loyola will face Boston College at 2 p.m., on Saturday and then either Saint Joseph's or Rider on Sunday at either noon or 2 p.m.