BLUE MOUNTAIN, Miss. – The No. 2 Loyola Wolf Pack continued their winning ways on Saturday, using a big second half to take down the Blue Mountain College Toppers, 90-76.
The Pack improved their record to 27-1 overall and 16-1 in Southern States Athletic Conference play with one regular-season game on the schedule.
The Pack will travel to No. 5 Talladega for a 3 p.m. first tip on Sunday. Loyola won the first meeting, but it’ll have to beat the Tornadoes again to clinch the SSAC regular-season title.
Loyola led for most of the first half and the scoring got started when Brandon Davis hit his first 3-pointer of the game 40 seconds into the contest.
Zach Wrighstil, Andrew Fava and Davis all scored in the next couple of minutes to put the Pack up 11-7 less than four minutes into the game. Blue Mountain made a run to take a quick lead, 14-11, but a 3-pointer and an and-1 opportunity for Myles Burns in a one-minute span helped give Loyola the 17-14 advantage.
Jalen Galloway added a 3 for himself, which was followed up by five quick points for Davis, to make it a 25-19 lead with a little more than 10 minutes until halftime.
The Toppers were able to grab another quick lead, but another 3-pointer for Davis switched the score back in Loyola’s favor, 28-27. At around the six-minute mark, the two teams traded the lead six times until Zach Muller hit a 3-pointer to push Loyola ahead 40-38 with four-plus minutes left in the half. The Toppers outscored the Pack from there, though, taking a 47-46 lead into the break.
Fava started the second half with a 3-pointer, then Burns and Galloway gave the Wolf Pack a seven-point lead, 54-47, less than three minutes into the half. Another 3 for Galloway made it a 10-point game, and Wrightsil pushed the lead to 14, 68-54, with 14 minutes left. Burns dunked one home a few minutes later to extend the score to a 16-point lead, but Loyola went on scoring lull over the next three-plus minutes. Blue Mountain, however, couldn’t take advantage, as the Wolf Pack defense forced two turnovers and a couple of missed shots to keep it a 72-63 lead with eight minutes left.
Burns ended the drought, and Terry Smith Jr. added four straight points, to put momentum back on Loyola’s side, and six straight points by Wrightsil, 84-66, put Loyola in a good position with four minutes left. Davis, Smith and Josh Leaney finished things off with made shots in the final few minutes.
Pack Facts
– After moving up the ranks in numerous career categories in Loyola’s record book, Zach Wrightsil is now starting to enter the record book for single-season statistics. His 23 points in the game now give him 521 this season, which is the 15th-most points scored in a season for a Loyola player, and his six rebounds put him tied for 10th with 239 this season. Also, after recording three steals in Saturday’s contest, Wrightsil now has 59 steals this season, which is the sixth-most for a Wolf Pack player.
– Wrightsil now has 996 rebounds for his career, six away from breaking Loyola’s all-time record.
– Myles Burns also notched three steals for the Pack, giving him 111 for the season. The senior is now 26 steals away from the Southern States Athletic Conference record.
– Brandon Davis hit four 3-pointers in the game, and he’s now had seven games this season with at least that many. His season-high is five.
– Davis also led the Wolf Pack with five assists while scoring 20 points.
– Burns’ 14 points made it three Wolf Pack players in double figures, joining Wrightsil and Davis.
{Courtesy: release from Loyola Athletics}
