On Sunday, Feb. 9, Loyola held its 20th Annual Women in Sports Day celebration in McGuire Hall, followed by the women’s basketball game against Colgate University in Reitz Arena.
In the first quarter, both teams were neck and neck until Colgate took the lead by 7 points, making the score 17-10. The Greyhounds were able to pick up their game in the second quarter, with a buzzer beater half court shot by Amandine Amorich ‘27. Her shot helped Loyola stay in league with Colgate, as the Raiders did not score any more points heading into the second half.
The Greyhounds started the third quarter with a 3-point deficit against the Raiders after a strong 6-0 run. Colgate then had a 9-point run and outscored the Hounds 21-8 during the latter half of the quarter.
The Hounds trailed by 16 points heading into the fourth quarter, with a score of 57-14. At this point, Gabby Betton ’28 made a layup to cut down the lead to just 14 points. Colgate was able to stay in the lead and won the game with a score of 74-59. The Greyhounds now have about 7 games left in the regular season.
With 19 points, 3 free throws, and 2 three-pointers, Amorich led the Greyhounds in scoring for the game. She wants to continue having fun throughout the Patriot League games, and hopes to play a playoff game at home.
“We just want to play together, love each other, and have fun,” Amorich said.
The next highest scorers were Avery Simmons ‘28 with 9 points and Laura Salmerón ‘25 with 7. Koi Sims ‘25 led the team in rebounds with 9 in the match. Marta Espinal ‘26 and Simmons were tied in this area, each having 4 rebounds. As a senior, Sims encourages her teammates to play to the best of their ability.
“We just have to make sure we finish out strong and stay consistent for the whole 40 minutes. It’s just about playing as hard as we can,” Sims said.
Loyola’s annual Women in Sports Day was held in McGuire Hall on Sunday, in addition to the game against Colgate. In the hall, there were various tables set up with many different activities. At each table, there were two athletes from each team, while the dance and cheer teams made rounds.
“Women in Sports Day means a lot to me, especially being able to watch all of these women athletes and see how strong women are, especially women in sports,” Sims said.
Loyola invited girls in kindergarten to eighth grade to hang out with the school’s athletes, partaking in various activities like face painting, poster-making, hair ribbons, nail painting, and much more. They were able to take photos with the student-athletes and meet the basketball team after their matchup against Colgate. All of Loyola’s athletes were able to get to know the girls and their passions deeply, and to really connect with the guests.
“I had a girl tell me how much she looked up to the dance team and how she wanted to dance in college. It was so nice to be surrounded by so many young girls who look up to us as athletes. It was so great being able to make connections with them,” Julia Baratta ‘27, a member of Loyola’s dance team said.
The Greyhound women’s basketball team will be traveling to Army West Point for a matchup on Wednesday, as well as American University on Saturday, Feb. 15.
