Survive and Advance! Tigers Are Through to the Round of 16

GEORGETOWN, Ky. – The No. 5-seeded Georgetown College women's basketball team (24-8) defeated the No. 4-seeded Loyola University (25-5) 81-72 in the second round of the 2026 NAIA Women's Basketball National Championships to advance through to the Round of 16 on Saturday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Georgetown hit seven of its first eight shots and quickly jumped out to a 17-10 lead. The Tigers relied heavily on the 3-point shot in the first quarter, as half of their field goals were from distance. Daysha Reid's 3-pointer with 3:46 to go in the first extended things to 25-12. Led by 12 points from Daisy Gale, Georgetown held a 30-18 advantage after the first quarter.

The first two buckets of the second quarter belonged to the Tigers, who held a steady lead throughout the second quarter. Off the bench, Laisha Lazu added six points and eight rebounds in the quarter to help the Tigers to a 45-37 lead at halftime.

Loyola outscored Georgetown by six in the third quarter, coming all the way back to make it just a two-point game, 60-58 at the end of three quarters.

An 8-0 run from the Wolf Pack started the fourth quarter as Loyola had pushed ahead 66-60 with just over two minutes gone by in the fourth. Down the stretch, the Tigers played smart and cohesive basketball to chip away at the deficit, tying the game at 67-67 with 4:04 to play. The difference in the game came in the final stages. With things tied at 69-69, Georgetown used a 10-0 run to separate and close things out, 81-72.

THE TEAM 
Georgetown shot 38.9% from the field. The Tigers were 9-31 (29.0%) from deep and were 16-24 (66.7%) at the free-throw line. GC outrebounded LU, 48-47. The Tigers picked up 13 assists and had five steals.

THE PLAYERS
* Daisy Gale had a team-high 24 points with 10 rebounds and two steals.
* Anna Long added 16 points with five rebounds and an assist.
* Daysha Reid finished with 15 points off four 3-pointers with four assists.

UP NEXT
With the win, the Tigers punched their ticket to Sioux City, Iowa, and into the Round of 16 for the second time in as many years. Georgetown made a trip to the Fab Four in the 2012 season, it's best-ever finish in program history.