The women’s basketball team could not recover from a stagnant first quarter on Saturday, as they fell behind 19-8 in the first frame on their way to a 79-70 loss to Colgate. With the loss, the Greyhounds are now 4-9 in the Patriot League and 7-17 overall.

Stephanie Karcz ’20 was one point shy of her career high with 26 points, along with eight rebounds and five steals. She is now second in Loyola history with 1,035 career rebounds. Alexis Gray ’20 had 12 points as the Hounds’ only other scorer in double figures.

Colgate, who is 11-1 at home this season, jumped out to a 16-2 lead, which Loyola managed to cut to 19-8 at the end of the first quarter. The Raiders led by as many as 17 in the second quarter, but a pair of baskets from Karcz cut that lead to 39-26 by halftime.

Gray and Karcz started the second half in a similar fashion, scoring the half’s first two baskets to make the score 39-30. However, the Raiders responded with an 11-4 run to jump back to a double-digit lead. 

Loyola fought to reduce the deficit to single digits several more times, just for Colgate to go on a run and reclaim a commanding lead. They ended up shooting 50.8 percent on their way to the 79-70 win and the second seed in the Patriot League standings.

The Hounds continue their road trip through New York when they visit Army West Point for a game on Wednesday evening. Tip-off is at 6 p.m.

Featured Image Courtesy of Loyola Athletics.