February 11, 2007 - Loyola 74 Rider 55
February 11, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Women’s College Basketball
Loyola College 74, Rider University 55
BALTIMORE, Md.--The Broncs lost a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game at Loyola Sunday afternoon. “We didn’t take care of the ball and that’s been the problem all year,” said head coach Tori Harrison.
For Rider (1-24, 0-14 MAAC), sophomore Shaunice Parker (Waldorf, Md./West Lake) scored 15 points, all in the second half and had 11 rebounds for her second career ‘double-double’. Parker added three steals and two assists and this was the fourth game in a row that Parker has compiled double-digits in points. Parker finished one off her career-high in both points and rebounds.
“Shaunice didn’t play well in the first half,” said Harrison. “It wasn’t anything that Loyola did, it was more of what Shaunice was doing to herself and in the second half, she realized that she is one of the best players on the floor and she made her mind up that she was going to play better.”
“At halftime, I decided to settle down and not try to do too much,” said Parker. “I just played the game the way I know how and focused more. I didn’t have a very good half and it’s more of what I wasn’t doing than what Loyola was doing in the first half.”
Loyola (15-9, 10-4 MAAC) led 12-7 at the 11:43 mark and went on an 8-2 run opening up an 11-point lead at 20-9 with 7:53 left.
The Greyhounds increased the lead to 18 at 35-17 on the strength of a 15-8 run, five points by Vanessa Ruffin and led 37-19 at the half. Ruffin shot seven for nine from the field and led three Greyhounds in ‘double-digits’ scoring a career-high 17 points.
The Broncs cut the lead to 16 points twice early in the second half but that was a close as Rider would get.
Loyola caused 25 Bronc turnovers on the day.
“It’s very disruptive to the offense when you turn the ball over that much,” Parker added. “We just have to focus and play stronger defense and cause the opponent to make mistakes.”
Also for Rider, sophomore Danielle Costantino (Norristown, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) had 10 points on five for six shooting with senior Kara Borel (East Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg) adding six rebounds before leaving the game with an ankle injury mid-way through the second half.
“We only got out-scored in the second half by one and our lack of focus in the first half hurt us,” Harrison added. “Definitely Kara getting hurt affected us down the stretch and we are hoping that she just tweaked her ankle and we’ll have her back on Saturday against Siena. I’m glad we have the whole week off to get healthy.”
Junior transfer Vika Sholokhova added 14 points, five assists and three steals off the bench for Loyola.
The Broncs have lost 14 straight overall and 17 straight regular season conference games.
Rider hosts Siena on Saturday at 2:00pm in a MAAC game.
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