Box Score Parker pours in 29 points in the loss.
The Loyola Wolf Pack men's basketball team traveled to Southern University at New Orleans on Tuesday night to square off against the Knights in a NAIA showdown.
Despite a huge game by Nick Parker (JR/Port Allen, La.), the Wolf Pack fell 83-77 to SUNO to drop to 2-2 on the year.
Parker scored the first points of the ball game, nailing a three-pointer off an offensive rebound by Johnny Griffin Jr. (SR/Chicago, IL.) He followed that play with a layup to give the Wolf Pack an early 5-0 lead. The home team responded with a 10-5 run to knot the game at 10-10.
The Knights broke the tie by scoring 16-unanswered points to take their largest lead of the game at 26-10. Parker would once again have an answer for the Wolf Pack. The guard knocked down a three in transition and scored on a layup off of a pass from Chase Eckholdt (JR/Mandeville, La.). Loyola outscored SUNO 18-15 down the stretch of the first half, but still trailed 28-41 at halftime. Parker led all scorers with 15 points in the first 20 minutes.
Griffin Jr. was the story of the second half for the Wolf Pack. The senior forward forced a turnover by the Knights, taking the ball the length of the floor for a reverse dunk on the break. Griffin Jr. had six points in the first six minutes for his team.
The Wolf Pack capitalized on multiple trips to the charity stripe (14-16) and tight defense down the stretch to climb within eight (67-75). Loyola would score on back-to-back possessions to cut the lead down to 71-75 in the final minute of the ball game. But after Ethan Turner (SO/Covington, La) and Griffin Jr. fouled out of the ball game, the Wolf Pack was unable to complete the comeback effort. SUNO went on to defeat Loyola 83-77.
The team shot 36.8 percent from the floor (25-of-68) and 17.4 percent from the three-point line (4-of-23). Loyola knocked down 23-of-30 free throws to finish the game at 76.7 percent. The team also forced 19 turnovers off the Knights in the road loss.
Parker led all scorers in the game with 29 points including 11-of-12 from the free throw line. Griffin Jr. added 22 points and seven rebounds before fouling out of the ball game.
The team will continue its road trip on Nov. 15 as they take on the Gold Nuggets of Xavier University.
