Nov. 26, 2011

Box Score

SEATTLE - Troy Hambric knocked down two free throws with 0.5 left to give Loyola a 65-63 win over San Francisco in the consolation game of the Seattle U Thanksgiving Tournament tonight in Seattle, Wash. The Ramblers improve to 4-2 while sending USF to 1-6 with the loss.

"It was a tough game for us tonight but I am proud of how we battled down the stretch and found a way to win," said head coach Eric Simpson. "Troy hung in there and hit the free throws and we were able to win a game when we did not play our best."

Loyola came out a bit sluggish after its up-tempo game with Akron last night and fell behind 7-0 and 21-6 after seven minutes. Lyndsey Booker hit a three-pointer to stem the tide and Lauren Hibbard accounted for all seven points in a Loyola run that made it a 23-16 game at the 8:21 mark. San Francisco bumped the lead back to 11 (27-16) but the Ramblers dug in defensively, outscoring the Dons 14-2 over the last 6:37 to take a 30-29 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The Ramblers carried their momentum over into the second half, surging to a 36-31 lead on a Lisa Samplawski three-pointer. San Francisco refused to go away but Loyola's inconsistency on the offensive end let the Dons hang around. Rheina Ale capped a 10-1 USF run with a free throw to give them a 56-51 lead at the 6:02 mark but Loyola responded, ripping off nine of the next 11 points to take a 60-58 lead with just under three minutes to play.

Hambric split a pair from the line later to tie the score at 61 and Patrice King knocked down a long two-pointer to give the Ramblers the lead with :41.4 left. Two Taj Winston free throws with 28 seconds left tied the game for the sixth and final time as Loyola played for the final possession. King fed Hambric inside and the Detroit native rebounded her own miss and was hacked with :00.5 showing on the clock. After two USF timeouts to ice her, she stepped to the line and knocked in the winning foul shot.

After shooting 51% from the floor and losing last night, the Ramblers shot just 33% in tonight's win.

Hibbard led the way with a career high 13 points (6-8 FGs) and paced four Ramblers in double figures. Simone Law racked up her first collegiate double-double, finishing with 12 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out late while Samplawski also totaled 12 points in her second start of the season. King, Loyola's leading scorer, scored all 12 of her points in the second half and added five rebounds and five assists.

Loyola has a full week off before returning to action next Saturday night at DePaul. Tip time is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Lincoln Park.