The Loyola women’s basketball team played against Boston University on Wednesday night in their annual Play4Kay Game. Play4Kay games are a way to bring awareness to the various types of cancers affecting women. Coaches, players, officials, and fans showed their support, wearing pink attire.
The game was a tight race. Both teams made adaptations and changes throughout the whole match, but in the end, Boston University claimed the win. Loyola was down at halftime 19-24, but they got back on defense and put the pressure on Boston, making them work for their win. The final score was 38-55.
“I think that in the losses that we had, they were very close games and they kind of come down to the end and it’s not really like we’re losing like getting blown out, but its more just making everything come together at the end.” Koi Sims ‘25, senior captain of the team said.
Despite a few lost matches, the team has had notable moments throughout the season. These include Laura Salmerón ‘25 finishing the Loyola vs. Boston away game with a career-high 28 points, and a buzzer beater half court shot by Amandine Amorich ‘27 during the team’s home game against Colgate. Due to a recent string of injuries, the team has been working with a very different lineup than in previous matches.
“This team has had to learn how to adapt a lot this year. I think there’s a lot of players in roles that we did not anticipate them being in this year,” Assistant Coach Annalise Lamke said.
This turn of events has allowed the team to utilize freshmen Avery Simmons and Gabby Betton. With many younger players on the court, the team is looking to senior leaders Sims and Salmerón for strong performances.
“I think it’s just been a heavy reliance on the upperclassmen that we do have on. So, Koi Sims and Laura Salmerón, our two seniors, have had a lot of pressure on them to not only to score but to be leaders for our team. I think they both have stepped into their roles greatly,” Lamke said.
While the team also faced injuries last season, this season the injuries are coming from their starting roster. The roster changes have definitely changed a lot about the team’s look, but the Hounds still work hard to keep the team together.
“I feel like everyone had to step up and leave everything on the court, that’s the very minimum we ask…and as the season keeps going, everyone gets their own role,” Salmerón said.
Sims and Salmerón have certainly stepped up, leading by example instead of words. According to the official Patriot League website, Salmerón is listed as the fourth top scorer in the Patriot League 2024-25 Women’s Basketball Conference, averaging 14.6 points per game. Sims is the top rebounder in the 2024-25 Women’s Basketball Conference, averaging 11 rebounds per game.
In addition to strong scorers, the team relies on their defenders a lot to keep up with their competition. Whatever they lack on the offense, their defenders help make up for it.
“Our defense keeps us going, like when we start with really high energy on defense, getting stops, that pushes us on offense. So, our defense is really like the engine of our game,” Salmerón said.
With 4 games left in the regular season and a current overall record of 9-16, the Loyola Women’s basketball team is looking forward to playing in the Patriot League Championship. Last year the team ended the season with an overall record of 16-15.
“No matter what we face and what we’ve gone through, everyone still shows up and fights really hard for each other, which I’m really grateful for because this season would’ve been really difficult if people only wanted to just halfheartedly show up each day.” Lamke said.
