Coming off an impressive win against Cornell University, the women’s basketball team entered its next game against George Mason University on Nov. 14 looking to continue its winning ways. However, second-half injuries to guard Bri Betz-White ’18 and forward Izzy Therien ’21 shifted the momentum to George Mason’s side, leading them to a 80-72 victory against Loyola.
Led by the George Mason Patriots opened the game strongly. The club dominated the battle on the boards, as they crashed for rebounds and went on a run to build a sizeable lead. The Greyhounds settled for threes, and found it hard to get the ball into the paint against this team. Size was on the Patriots’ side, as their defensive led to quick offensive points in the first quarter to lead 18-10.
The second quarter featured a Greyhound turnaround. The ball moved around more naturally and the team fought back defensively, forcing multiple turnovers. Instead of settling for threes, the team fought to move the ball inside, where they made a good amount of mid-range baskets. The team capitalized on the Patriots’ missing shots (despite their good looks), with guard Alexis Grey ’20 sparking a comeback before the half.
Early foul trouble for guard Stephanie Karcz ’20 caused her to sit for the majority of the game, but when she was in the game, her aggression seeped over from her career high 25-point eruption and shifted the momentum to the Greyhounds. She ended the game with 12 points. Therien contributed 12 points by this point. and lead the Greyhounds alongside Gray with 16 points. At the end of the half, as both teams matched each other, with Loyola cutting the lead to one point.
The third quarter started off exactly where the second quarter ended. Gray started with another 3-point basket, followed by a floater. Guard Molly Taylor ’20 followed the two buckets with a three of her own. Betz-White capped off this run, which saw Loyola take the lead, with a sweet layup, extending the lead to 45-41 in favor of the Greyhounds. Betz-White finished with eight points and a game-high six assists.
However, the Patriots responded back. The combination of guard play from Nicole Cardano-Hillary ’21 and Butler proved to match the intensity of the Greyhounds. Cardano-Hillary’s quick baskets and Butler’s inside put-backs tied the game up by the end of the third quarter.
This duo continued to score and work an “inside-out” game, relying on Butler’s rebounds that led to quick offensive by Cardano-Hillary. The game was still close with momentum on the Loyola side, until Betz-White collided with another player late in the game and was forced to leave the game. She returned to the arena, but sat the rest of the game. Another minor injury to Therien caused the momentum to shift back in favor of the Patriots, with Cardano-Hillary and Butler using their one-two punch to capitalize on their chemistry en route to their 80-72 victory. Butler finished the game with an impressive 20 points and 12 rebounds, followed by Cardano-Hillary’s 23 points.
The Greyhounds return on Thursday as they host Georgetown University at 7 p.m.
*Photo via loyolagreyhounds.com*
