Box Score JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Following a made layup by Nai Brown to give Loyola a 64-63 lead with 2:27 left in the second half, Antonia Smith (Bronx, N.Y./Dwight School) hit the go-ahead layup with 10.5 seconds to take a 65-64 lead. Loyola's Kara Marshall would hit a game-winning layup with 2.6 seconds left to lift the Greyhounds to a 66-65 win against Saint Peter's on Sunday.
Smith would finish with a game-high and career-high 24 points for the Peacocks. Marcia Senatus (Roselle, N.J./Trenton Catholic) would finish with 13 points on five-of-seven shooting.
Marshall also finished with 24 points, including 13 in the second half. Brown would also record 17 points in the win for Loyola.
In the first half, each team would exchange opening baskets on its first possession. Tiffany Padgett would hit a trey to take a 5-2 lead. Smith would respond with a three to tie the game. A pair of free throws by Marshall would give the lead back to the Greyhounds.
Smith would hit another three on the following possession to give Saint Peter's an 8-7 lead. Following a steal by Senatus, Smith would make another basket, scoring the Peacocks' first 10 points and lifting them to an early 10-7 lead.
Padgett would hit a layup to trim the deficit for the Greyhounds, but a foul would send Senatus back to line, where she made both free throws to keep the lead. Next possession, Senatus would hit another field goal to give Saint Peter's a 14-11 advantage. Loyola would respond, with a made layup by Marshall while being fouled. Marshall would make the free throw to tie the game up at 14.
Following a foul by Loyola, Kaydine Bent (Bronx, N.Y./Harry S. Truman) would hit both free throws to regain the lead. Following a turnover, Hala Mostafa (Cairo, Egypt/Modern Narmer Language School) would make a layup off a pass from Bent to take the 18-14 lead. After another Greyhound turnover, Aziza May (South Euclid, Ohio/Charles F. Brush) would hit a basket while being fouled and go to the free throw line. May would hit her free throw to widen the Peacocks' lead. Loyola would answer with back-to-back layups by Lisa Mirachi and Padgett to cut the deficit. Next possession, Mostafa would hit the try to maintain Saint Peter's lead. Nai Brown would with a three-point field goal to keep the deficit within reach.
A pair of made free throws by Smith would give Saint Peter's a 26-21 lead with just under nine minutes remaining in the first half. Brown would answer a pair of free throws to keep the game within a bucket. Made free throws by Bridget Whitfield (San Diego, Calif./La Costa Canyon) and a layup by Bent opened up Saint Peter's lead. Following a Loyola miss, Smith would hit her third three-point field goal of the half to give Saint Peter's a 33-23 advantage.
Following a Loyola timeout, Marshall would turn the ball over which led to a made jump shot with Smith. Following a missed free throw, Whitfield would hit a jumper to give Saint Peter's a 14-point lead. The Greyhounds would respond, making back-to-back field goals to trim the deficit. Free throws towards the end of the half would help Loyola climb back into the game, but Saint Peter's would take a 41-34 lead into halftime.
Smith led all scorers in the first half with 17 points. Brown and Marshall both tallied 11 points each in the first half for Loyola.
The Greyhounds would begin to make a run in the second half, scoring back-to-back buckets in the opening minute to cut the deficit to three. Saint Peter's would respond, as Smith hit another trey to open up Saint Peter's lead. Following a foul, Neechelle Ingram (Pocono Summit, Pa./Pocono Mountain East) would hit one of two free throws to give the Peacocks a 45-38 lead.
A layup by Mirarchi and two free throws by Brown would help Loyola get within a bucket of tying. Up two, May would hit back-to-back field goals to build on the lead. Following a Senatus turnover, Marshall would hit a layup to cut the deficit to one. Next possession, Senatus would respond with a jump shot to take a 51-48. A trey by Nicole Krusen would tie the game at 51.
A layup by Senatus would put Saint Peter's back up 53-51. Marshall would respond with two free throws to tie the game. Senatus would hit another field goal to retake the lead. Next possession, Krusen would hit another three to give Loyola a 56-55. Following a made free throw by Senatus, the game would go back to a tie. Following a Loyola miss, it would be Senatus who would score to give Saint Peter's a 58-56 lead.
After a made free throw by Marshall, Smith hit would a jump shot to give Saint Peter's the 60-57 advantage. The Greyhounds would tie up the game following three straight points by Marshall.
With a 3:03 left in the second half, Marshall would hit the go-ahead field goal to give Loyola a 62-60 lead. Next possession, Whitfield would hit a three off a pass from Senatus that would put Saint Peter's back on top. On the next play, Brown would make a layup to take a 64-63 lead.
The Peacocks had several chances at the line to regain the lead late, but missed all four free throws. Saint Peter's had an opportunity with 2.6 left to win the game, but failed to get a shot off as time expired.
Saint Peter's concludes its five-game home stand on Dec. 4 against Stony Brook at the Yanitelli Center.
