Loyola Women’s basketball (15-15, 11-7 Patriot League) defeated the Naval Academy 44-42, Monday night in a nail-biting Patriot League Quarterfinals at Reitz Arena. Jeneh Perry and Bri Betz-White both led the Greyhounds with 13 points each.
The game was tight throughout , with Loyola only establishing a true lead in the 4th quarter. The Hounds solidified that lead in the fourth when the Hounds outscored Navy 15-9. Even though Loyola won the final quarter statistically, the team only had a 42-37 lead until Navy rattled off five unanswered points (with a clutch 3-pointer) to have the game tied at 42 with eight seconds left.
It is March, so you know March madness is in the air.
As the game came to an end Loyola Senior Colleen Marshall, who has been a stand-out all season, hit the game-winning jumper as time expired to eliminate Navy from the Patriot League Tournament. Her shot came directly from the inbounds pass following Navy’s 3-pointer. Marshall drove the length of the court, met multiple Navy defenders, stepped back and drained the jumper. The Loyola bench exploded when the last second of the game expired, celebrating their first post-season victory as members of the Patriot League.
Marshall’s shot made Sportcenter’s Top-10 plays for March 7. It is the second time the Loyola’s women’s basketball team has made the famous list this season.
Loyola plays Bucknell on Friday, March 11th in West Point, New York. The other Semi-final features Army versus Lehigh.
