BABSON PARK, Fla.—Southeastern was unable to recover from a slow start during its first game of the SSAC/Sun Conference Crossover Challenge, dropping an 84-68 loss to No. 17 Loyola (La.) Friday afternoon.
A 3-pointer by Raegan Linster and a layup by Mar Martorell gave Southeastern (1-1) an 8-5 lead with 5:46 left in the first quarter. From that point on, Loyola went on a 15-3 run to end the quarter with a 20-11 lead. The Fire finished the quarter just 4-of-20 from the field with three of their makes from the 3-point line.
Anja Knoflach scored 11 of the first 13 points of the second quarter for the Fire, which included a 6-0 run to get SEU within five at 29-24 with 5:12 remaining in the second. The Wolf Pack ended the period on a 13-7 run to hold a 42-31 lead at the break.
Knoflach finished with 17 points and seven rebounds.
Southeastern went just 5-of-22 from the field in the third quarter, falling behind by 29 with 2:13 left in the quarter (65-36). The Fire finished the game with its strongest shooting effort, going 11-of-18 from the field and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc.
Raegan Linster had 13 of her game-high 21 points in the final 10 minutes. The senior finished 5-of-10 from 3-point land and added a team-high 12 rebounds.
Gabby Suarez was also in double figures with 17 points, nine rebounds, six assists, and a steal.
The Fire will take on Stillman on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. for their final game of the challenge.
