NEW ORLEANS, LA.- Coming off an upset over No. 21 Dillard on Tuesday, the Loyola University New Orleans Men's Basketball team hosted Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) rival University of Mobile Rams on Saturday.
The Wolf Pack were dominant throughout the entire contest, trailing only once en route to a 75-58 victory over Rams.
After Fr. G Tre'von Jasmine (Edgard, La./East St. John High) completed a three-point play on the opening possession, Loyola jumped out to an early 13-4 lead with 14:08 remaining in the half. Mobile responded with a 10-0 run to capture the lead 14-13 with just over eleven minutes to play. That would be the only time the Wolf Pack trailed in the game.
They answered the Rams with a 24-6 run of their own to take a 37-20 lead with 2:44 remaining in the half. So. G Nick Parker (Port Allen, La./Port Allen) capped the scoring for the first half with two free throws and then stole the ball from the Rams on the final play, giving Loyola a 41-25 advantage.
The Rams came out of the locker room and cut into the Wolf Pack advantage. A second chance layup by Dominque Lawrence made it 46-32 with 17:32 remaining.
Loyola, however, quickly regained their composure and stretched their advantage to a game-high 24 on a pair of free throws by Jr. G Jalen Gray (New Orleans, La./Brother Martin). Following the 16-6 run, the Wolf Pack led 62-38 with 7:55 remaining.
Down the stretch, the Wolf Pack controlled the tempo and closed out the victory 75-58.
Loyola was 24-of-52 (46.2%) from the field, but were just 4-of-15 (26.7%) from beyond the arc. After missing only one attempt in the first half, they finished 23-of-29 (79.3%) from the charity stripe.
For the second consecutive game, stellar defense was key to the Wolf Pack's success. For the third time this season, Loyola held a team to 25 points or less going into the half. They forced 19 turnovers and So. C Nate Pierre (Folsom, La./Covington), who leads the SSAC in blocks per game, had three of the six blocks.
Loyola had four players score in double digits. Pierre led all scorers with a season-high 16 points, while Jr. F Johnny Griffin (Chicago, Ill./Bloom Trail High) added 15 points and 11 rebounds for his eleventh double-double of the year. Jasmine snatched seven rebounds to go along with his 14 points and Parker provided 12 points off the bench.
Mobile was held to 19-of-60 (31.7%) from the field and 4-of-10 (40%) from beyond the arc. Daouda Soumaoro, a transfer from Division I Western Kentucky, led the Rams with 15 points, while Lawrence contributed 12 points.
The Wolf Pack will host SSAC opponent Martin Methodist on Thursday, Feb, 11, inside The Den at 7:30 pm.
