Box Score First-year players Myles Burns and Zach Wrightsil combine for 55 points as Loyola earns their first conference win
MT. VERNON, Ga. – Seeking their first conference win of the early season the Loyola University New Orleans men's basketball team defeated Brewton-Parker 95-80 Saturday afternoon with a strong offensive performance in Gillis Gymnasium.
The Wolf Pack (5-3, 1-1) opened the contest with a three from Cameron Dumas. Loyola would score yet again on two from Myles Burns, but Brewton-Parker (1-6, 0-2) eventually drew it even at 14-14. A pair of scores from Burns and Zach Wrightsil put Loyola out in front yet again before the Barons claimed their first lead of the game at 20-19 with just over 10 minutes left in the half.
After the home team scored eight-straight points the Pack quickly responded and made it a 30-all game, highlighted by a pair of threes from Wrightsil. There would be five more ties in the remaining four minutes of the first half, but Loyola would take the advantage into the intermission, up 45-43.
Brewton-Parker would erase the Wolf Pack lead to begin the half, with the score reaching 51-51 just after two minutes of play. That would be the last draw of the game however, as Loyola scored 10-unanswered before climbing out to a 15-point advantage on a three-pointer from Eric Brown with just under 10 minutes left.
Looking to hold off the Barons comeback attempt, the freshmen trio of Burns, Dumas and Wrightsil stepped up as they were responsible for 16-straight points for Loyola. After reaching a game-high 24-point advantage with two and a half minutes left on the clock, the Wolf Pack would hold on for their first conference win with a 95-80 defeat of Brewton-Parker.
Next week the men will play in their third and final exhibition of the season, as they travel to Louisiana-Lafayette to take on the Cajuns Wednesday, December 5 at 7 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN+ and broadcast on ESPN Radio 1420 AM.
Wolf Pack Head Coach Stacy Hollowell
"We're glad to get our first conference win of the season, and it's always nice to get one on the road. It was great to see Zach and Myles score the ball like they did tonight, both played with great energy and were very efficient. In the first 10 minutes of the second half I felt like we defended the way we are capable of and were able to build a lead. However, we aren't anywhere near the defensive team I feel we have the potential to be, so that will be our focus in the coming weeks."
Pack Facts
For the third time this season, Loyola shot over 50% from the field as a team, nearly hitting the 60-mark at 37-62 (59.7%).
The Pack scored over 90 points for the fourth time this year and now average 91.1 per contest.
With the win tonight head coach Stacy Hollowell now has 74 victories at Loyola, tying him for the fourth-most in program history with Bill Gardiner.
After going a perfect 9-9 from the field in the first half, Zach Wrightsil finished 14-15 and 3-3 from three-point range en route to a career-high 31 points.
The freshman leads the team in scoring average at 17.8 per game.
After entering the day ranked third in the NAIA in steals per game, Myles Burns added two more today and averages three per game.
You can keep up with the Pack this season by following Wolf Pack Athletics on Facebook at Facebook.com/LoyolaWolfPack, Twitter and Instagram @LoyolaWolfPack, and by checking out our website at LoyolaWolfPack.com.
