Box Score The Wolf Pack returns home to host Dillard on Wednesday, Nov. 22, with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m.
In the second game of a back-to-back, the Loyola University New Orleans men's basketball team took on preseason No. 11-ranked LSU-Shreveport on Thursday in Shreveport, La to conclude a three-game road trip.
The Wolf Pack (2-3) kept it close through most of the game, tying the score heading into halftime, but the Pilots (6-0) pulled ahead in the second half, eventually securing a 90-82 victory.
The first half couldn't have been much closer than it was, with neither team holding more than a four-point lead at any point during the half. Even the shooting numbers were almost identical, with the Wolf Pack (17-35 for 48.6%) converting just one more basket than the Pilots (16-35 for 45.7%) on the same number of attempts. Nick Parker (SR/Port Allen, La.) led Loyola with 11 points as the game was tied at 42-42 at the half.
But in the second half, the Pilots took control, jumping out to their largest lead of the game when they led 60-48 just five minutes into the second half. Terry Smith, Jr., had a monster 19-point, 13-rebound game, with 15 of those points coming in the second half while the Wolf Pack attempted to come back. A bucket by Smith, Jr., would cut the LSUS lead to just four points when the home team held a 73-69 lead at the 8:31-minute mark in the second half. But the Pilots would eventually regain momentum, outscoring the visiting Wolf Pack 48-40 over the course of the half.
Smith, Jr.'s 19 points on 6-10 (60%) from the floor and 7-10 from the free throw line would lead the team, while Parker finished with 18 points on 7-14 (50%) shooting as well as 6 rebounds, good for second-highest on the team. Tre'Von Jasmine (JR/Edgard, La.) scored 14 points while also logging 6 boards. Chase Eckholdt (SR/Mandeville, La.) shot a perfect 3-3 from the floor, including a three-pointer for a total 7 points.
As a team, Loyola won the rebounding battle, grabbing 43 rebounds, including 12 on the offensive end, compared to just 31 for the Pilots. But the turnover margin ended up being the difference in the game, as the Pilots committed just 10 total turnovers to the Wolf Pack's 20, most of which came as a result of the 14 steals by the home team.
Five players for LSUS scored in double figures, including a game-high 21 points for Stevie Clark, 19 for Jamal Ray, and 17 for Rakim Lubin. Ray ended up with a double-double by also logging 11 rebounds.
The Wolf Pack returns home to host Dillard at The Den on Wednesday, Nov. 22, with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m.
