H. AUSTILL PHARR GYMNASIUM | MOBILE, Ala. - In a battle between two top teams in the SSAC Women's Basketball standings, No. 16 Loyola University (La.) managed to hand the University of Mobile Women's Basketball team the first home loss of the 2023-24 season on Thursday evening, Feb. 20, defeating Mobile 70-60 in the process. With a win on Thursday, Mobile would have forced a tie for first place in the standings with Loyola with one regular season game left, owning the tiebreaker over the Wolf Pack. However, Loyola brushed off an earlier loss to the Rams back on Feb. 3 and controlled Thursday's game for three of the four quarters played. Mobile falls to 23-5 overall on the year, while dropping the SSAC record to 15-4.
The Basics
Mobile came out sluggish against the Wolf Pack in the first quarter, making just three total shots from the floor on 13 attempts. Only two Rams scored for Mobile in the first quarter which saw Mobile total just nine points. Meanwhile, Loyola shot 7-for-19 from the field through the first 10 minutes of the game, leading 17-9 entering the second.
In the second quarter, the Wolf Pack kept their hot shooting going through the first two minutes, extending their early lead to 15 points. However, Mobile found some rhythm on both sides of the ball and began an impressive run to close out the first half. Through the final eight minutes of the second quarter, Mobile put together an 18-2 run over Loyola, while keeping the Wolf Pack scoreless through the final five minutes of the half. The impressive run put Mobile back in the ballgame, and even gave the Rams a 27-26 advantage going into halftime.
Coming out of halftime, Mobile started the third quarter similar to how the team started the first, making just three shots from the field. Loyola again managed to make seven shots in the third, eventually outscoring the Rams 18-11 in the quarter. Needing a comeback for the victory, Mobile entered the fourth with hopes of stopping the Loyola offense the same way the Rams did in the second. However, it was not meant to be as Loyola outscored Mobile 26-22 in the fourth to go on to win by 10 points.
Mobile finished Thursday shooting just 34% from the floor as a team, making just two of 14 three-point attempts. The Rams went 16-for-22 from the free throw line. Erica Jones led the offense individually with 22 points, adding seven rebounds and two assists. Miya Kimber followed with 18 points, finishing one rebound shy of a double-double. Loyola out-rebounded the Rams all night long, finishing with a 48-34 advantage. Both teams committed 17 turnovers each in Thursday's game.
Conference Standings Update; Senior Day Next
With the first loss in Pharr Gymnasium on Thursday, Mobile drops to third in the current conference standings after William Carey (Miss.) jumped Mobile with a win over Stillman College (Ala.) on Tuesday. With a win and a William Carey loss on Saturday, Feb. 24, Mobile will jump the Crusaders ahead of the SSAC Women's Basketball Championship Tournament.
Mobile is scheduled to face Stillman College at home to conclude the regular season on Saturday afternoon, with the game being scheduled for 12:00 p.m. CT. Saturday is Senior Day as Mobile's seniors will be honored postgame.
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About the University of Mobile
The University of Mobile is a Christ-centered liberal arts and sciences institution with a vision of higher education for a higher purpose, founded to honor God by equipping students for their future professions through rigorous academic preparation and spiritual transformation. Core values are: Christ-Centered, Academically-Focused, Student-Devoted and Distinctively-Driven. The university offers on-campus and online bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs. Founded in 1961, the University of Mobile is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention and is located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama on a campus of over 880 acres.
For information about the University of Mobile, areas of study, admissions and more, visit umobile.edu, connect with UM on social media @univofmobile, or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.
