NEW ORLEANS, La. -- It was a tale of two halves for UPIKE women's basketball on Saturday when the Bears lost to Loyola - New Orleans, 70-61 to end the Mid-South/Southern States Crossover Challenge.

The Bears held the Wolf Pack to just 22.6 percent shooting in the first half on 31 shots. The problem was that UPIKE wasn't doing much better at 37.9 percent. Regardless, UPIKE entered halftime with a six-point lead at 28-22.

Loyola matched UPIKE almost bucket for bucket in the first quarter. Neither team held more than a five-point lead in the opening quarter, but back-to-back buckets from Mary Englert kept UPIKE ahead. Pikeville outscored Loyola 10-2 off turnovers in the first quarter.

Both teams struggled on offense in the second quarter, especially Loyola who after the first 20 minutes were 0-11 from long distance. UPIKE hit two three-pointers in the quarter – one from Theodora Odia and another from Kayla Mullins – to help stay ahead.

The Wolf Pack found its stride in the second half though and rode it to victory. The bug that plagued Loyola in the first half from long distance got transferred to Pikeville in the third quarter. UPIKE shot 0-7 from beyond the arc, but thanks to five points from Emily Baker, the Bears found enough offense to keep the game tied going into the fourth.

Loyola started the final quarter on a 15-2 run to put the game out of reach almost at a stunning rate. The Bears started the fourth quarter on an 0-10 shooting slump.

The Bears responded with a 14-4 run to cut the lead down to four in the final minute, but Loyola converted five of six free throws to finish off the game.

UP NEXT

UPIKE will return from Louisiana, but will continue its string of road games with a trip north on Tuesday against Rio Grande in Rio Grande, Ohio. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.

-UPIKE-