FGCU’s women’s basketball team fell to Loyola Chicago, 62-56, in the WNIT second-round at Alico Arena on March 25. The loss gave Raina Harmon her 16th of the year, ending her first season as head coach with a .500 record.
“There’s no right way, and there’s no wrong way, to lead a team to success,” FGCU head coach Raina Harmon said. “What success looks like might change throughout the year. Your expectations might change, but your standards never should. Give yourself and the people around you grace.”
Harmon’s first tournament game started off fast, as guard Airah Lavy opened up the scoring with a quick 3-pointer. The full court press from the Eagles disrupted the Ramblers’ flow early on, allowing for an early timeout call from Loyola down 8-3 with 7:30 left in the first.
The fast start would later turn into a screeching halt, as the Eagles went scoreless for three minutes after the timeout. Loyola went on a 9-0 run to make it 8-12 with 3:05 left in the first. At the end of the first quarter, the Eagles trailed 20-14.
A strong defensive effort in the second quarter saw the Eagles allow only six points to the Ramblers, and score 14 of their own, which allowed them to regain the lead, 28-26, with 3:05 left to play before halftime.
Eve Alexander started to heat up this quarter, scoring six points in the second quarter. Loyola Chicago forward Brooklyn Vaughn buried a seven-foot turnaround shot that tied the game at half, 29-29.
In the first half, the Eagles shot 60 percent from the line, eight percent lower than their season average.
“Free throws are mental,” Harmon said. “We shoot free throws every single day in practice, and while we’re in there, I’m saying, see yourself at the line. Envision it being a hostile territory. Imagine there’s a trombone player standing right in front of you that’s holding a fat head, right? I think it’s mental, so we just have to be able to overcome the mental aspect of the free-throw game.”
After the break, guard Sinai Douglas and Alexander combined for nine of FGCU’s 15 points scored in the third quarter. The Eagles maintained their offensive prowess, but allowed 14 points, making the score 44-43 heading into the fourth quarter.
“For her, just, I mean, she’s a sophomore. She got two years of eligibility left to play. The sky is the limit for that kid,” Harmon said of Alexander. “ She’s one of the most coachable kids I’ve ever been around. She just enjoyed the ride and said that she learned so much about the game of basketball this year.”
Loyola scored five straight points to open the fourth quarter up by six.
Senior forward Maca Retamales six fourth-quarter points allowed the Eagles to claw their deficit within two points with a minute left. However, a 3-point shot from senior Ramblers guard Kira Chivers was the dagger in the coffin for the FGCU, as time ran out for a late-game rally.
Alexander’s team-high 16 points helped keep the game close until the final minute, but it ultimately wasn’t enough for FGCU to come back and secure the win.
