Box Score Jalen Gray (SR/New Orleans, La.), Johnny Griffin Jr. (SR/Chicago, IL.) and Nick Parker (JR/Port Allen, La.) combined for 57 points in the team's first victory over Faulkner since 2015.
The Loyola University Wolf Pack men's basketball team started a four-game homestand on Saturday with a Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) matchup against the (RV) Faulkner University Eagles.
With teams vying for conference position and Loyola looking to avenge an early loss to the road team, it would be a tight contest throughout.
The trio of Jalen Gray, Nick Parker and Johnny Griffin Jr. all combined to score 45 second-half points and spurred big plays down the stretch to allow the Wolf Pack to overcome Faulkner 81-77 at First NBC Court.
With the victory, Loyola now improves to 16-8 overall and 9-6 in SSAC play. Conversely, Faulkner falls to 14-11 overall and 9-7 in SSAC games.
Parker broke the scoring seal early for the home team, knocking down a three-pointer from the wing in the opening minute of the contest.
The Wolf Pack followed up that play by forcing a turnover from the Eagles, leading to a layup by Griffin Jr. on the other end to give his team the early 5-0 advantage in the first minute of play.
Faulkner's Logan Jozwiak responded with eight-straight points over the next three minutes of action to tie the ballgame at 8-8 at the 15:47 mark of the first half.
Eagle's guard Rene Scott gave the road team their first lead of the game after knocking down a three from the corner to put Faulkner on top 11-8 at the 15:04 mark.
Loyola regained the edge over the next 11 minutes of play, taking the 27-24 lead with 4:19 to go in the opening frame.
The Eagles responded with a 12-0 run to go back on top 36-27 with just under a minute to go until intermission.
With just seconds on the clock, Parker skipped a cross-court pass all the way to Ethan Turner (SO/Covington, La) who knocked down the three on the wing to bring the home team within six (36-30) heading into intermission.
The three-point line was a major weapon for both teams, with Faulkner connecting on 10-of-15 (67%) from beyond the arc while Loyola shot a solid 42% (5-of-12) in the first 20 minutes of play.
Three players tallied six points to pace the offense, while Griffin Jr. led his team with eight rebounds in the first half.
A layup by Di"Mar Hill gave the Eagles their largest lead of the contest at 44-34 in the first two minutes of the second half.
A jumper by Gray capped off a 17-7 run by Loyola, knotting the game at 51-51 at the 11:35 mark of the second.
The Wolf Pack regained the lead in the next 25 seconds, as Parker knocked down a deep three bringing the score to 55-54 with 11:10 on the clock.
Parker would strike for a second time, coming up with the steal and cruising in for the layup to give the home team its largest lead of the game at 61-54 with 8:44 left in the ballgame.
But it was Gray who would eventually seal the deal for the men's squad, driving in for the layup with 54 seconds to play, putting his team on top 80-77.
Loyola went on to claim the 81-77 victory over Faulkner, their first victory over the Eagles since 2015.The Wolf Pack shot 30-of-63 (47.6%) from the field and 9-of-20 (45%) from behind the three-point line. The team also dished out 16 assists and had 11 takeaways in the contest.
Parker led the way offensively and defensively for Loyola, recording a game-high 25 points and five steals in the win. Gray scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half to go along with five assists. Griffin Jr. tallied 13 points and 11 rebounds on Saturday evening.
Scott had 23 points to lead the Eagles and Hill added 20 points and eight helpers in the losing effort for the road team.
The Wolf Pack will welcome the University of Mobile to First NBC Court on Thursday, Feb. 16. The matchup against the Rams is set to tip-off at 7:30 p.m.
