Smithfield, RI – The Loyola Greyhounds women's basketball team trailed by as many as nine points early, but it battled back to beat Bryant, 69-64, for the Greyhounds' first road win since February 2020.
Four Greyhounds scored in double figures, led by
Lex Therien who had 16 points.
Taleah Dixon and
Bri Rozzi had 14 points each, and
Caramina Tañedo scored 12 points. Therien had 10 rebounds for a double-double, and Koi Sims grabbed a game high 12 rebounds.
The Bulldogs led 50-48 at the end of the third quarter and started the fourth strong, extending their lead to six points. The Greyhounds got on the board as Tañedo knocked down another three-pointer off an offensive rebound by Espinal.
A free throw from Cristina Garcia got the Greyhounds deficit back down to two points, and on the next possession, Tañedo hit her fourth three-pointer of the second half as the Greyhounds cut their deficit down to one point.
After a Bulldogs basket, Therien hit a free throw, followed by a three-pointer from Dixon, giving the Greyhounds took a 59-58 lead with 5:12 remaining. The Bulldogs tied the game at 61-61, but Sims grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on a layup to take a lead.
The Bulldogs followed it up with a three-pointer to retake the lead. On the ensuing possession, Therien scored off an offensive rebound to put Loyola back in front. A pair of Dixon free throws gave the Greyhounds a three-point lead with one minute remaining.
After a big stop on defense, Dixon was fouled with 11.8 seconds left as she made her first and missed her second, but Therien was there to grab the rebound, and as she was fouled on the put-back attempt. Therien hit one of her two free throws, giving the Greyhounds a 69-64 lead with 9.9 seconds remaining. The Greyhounds then forced a turnover on the next Bulldogs possession to secure the win.
Therien started the scoring as she scored on a layup to take an early lead; she added another layup, followed by a
Bri Rozzi three-pointer for the Greyhounds to extend their early lead. The Bulldogs had early success of their own, as they managed to keep pace with the Greyhounds.
Rozzi hit a jump shot to give the Greyhounds the 10-9 lead with 4:08 left in the first quarter. The Bulldogs found their momentum as they followed up the Rozzi jumper with a 11-5 run over the last four minutes of the first quarter. Rozzi ended the quarter with another jump shot as the Greyhounds trailed 20-15 after the first quarter.
With less than four minutes to go in the second quarter, Bryant extended its lead to four points, but the Greyhounds responded with another Rozzi three-pointer, followed by an
Emma Glezen put back as the Greyhounds took a 26-25 lead with 3:54 remaining in the quarter. The Bulldogs made a pair of free-throws to retake the lead, but Sims scored on a layup as the Greyhounds took the lead once again with under two minutes remaining. Kelly Ratigan hit a three-pointer with ten seconds left in the quarter, as the Greyhounds took an 31-27 halftime lead.
The Bulldogs started the second half with baskets on their first three possessions to retake the lead. Tañedo hit a three-pointer to cut the deficit to 38-35 with 6:19 left in the third. After a pair of baskets for the Bulldogs, Tañedo hit another three-pointer to cut their deficit back to four points with 4:29 left in the third quarter. The Bulldogs responded with a pair of baskets on their next two possessions to extend their lead to eight points. After a pair of free-throws made by Rozzi, Therien followed it up with a layup to make it a 48-44 deficit with 1:17 remaining in the third quarter. Therien ended the quarter with a pair of free throws as the Greyhounds trailed 50-48 at the end of the third quarter.
The Greyhounds will be back in action this Saturday when they host Delaware State.
