CENTRAL, S.C. – The Southern Wesleyan women's basketball team suffered a 96-84 setback at the hands of Loyola (La.) on Saturday afternoon in Southern States Athletic Conference play.

Christiana Perkins poured in a career-high 28 points, her third 20-point effort of the season in the loss for the Warriors.  Perkins scored 17 in the second half as SWU (4-8, 2-4 SSAC) fell behind by as much as 20.  The Warriors fought back and cut the deficit down to 13 but were unable to get any closer.  Perkins finished the game 8-of-14 from the floor and 9-of-10 from three point range.  She also had eight rebounds and six assists.

The Warriors outscored the Wolf Pack in the second half by one, 50-49 but Loyola closed the first half  on a 16-4 run to turn a one-point lead into a 47-43 halftime advantage.  The Wolf Pack shot 53 percent in the first half while the Warriors made 48 percent of their shots.  The second saw an increase in scoring but lower shooting percentages as Loyola made 43 percent and the Warriors an even 40 percent.

SWU led by as much as six early in the first half, which saw three lead changes and three ties before the Wolf Pack run seemingly put the game out of reach.  The Warriors shot 28 free throws in the second half, making 22.  They only shot three in the first half.  Similarly, the Wolf Pack took 19 of their 20 free throw attempts after halftime, making just 12.

Four players joined Perkins in double-figures for the Warriors as Kiara Coleman, Cayse Branyon and Brooke Strickland all scored 12 and Michelle Anaya added 10 points.  Loyola was led by Meghan Temple's 18 points in 15 minutes off the bench.  The Wolf Pack dominated the glass, pulling down 51 rebounds to only 33 for the Warriors.

"Our team is a work in progress, and we must learn that having a game off in our league will not be good enough," head coach John Davis said afterward.  " The quicker we learn this, the better we will be.  Our lack of effort was disappointing to end the first half and starting the second half, and against a good team like Loyola they will make the best of those opportunities.  Giving up 24 offensive rebounds and turning the ball over 24 times will not win you games.  I hope our team is up to the challenge as we start into the thick of our conference schedule.  We will work hard to move forward."

The Warriors will be back in action next Thursday as they travel to Southern Poly State for a 6 p.m. contest.