Box Score A jumper by Tre'Von Jasmine (JR/Edgard, La.) sent the game into overtime, but the Wolf Pack fall to 12-9 despite having five scorers in double figures
MACON, Ga. - In one of the most closely contested games of the year, the Loyola University New Orleans men's basketball team fell 86-81 in overtime, in a Saturday afternoon matchup against Middle Georgia State in the Morris Gym.
In a game that featured seven ties and four lead changes, the game unsurprisingly began with three ties in first five minutes after Tre'Von Jasmine got the Pack (12-9, 7-3) on the scoreboard with an early layup.
The Knights (10-11, 5-8) steadily held a small advantage on the scoreboard for most of those first five minutes, until Loyola scored seven-straight points to take a 15-10 lead. The Pack would then hold at least a three-point lead for most of the first half, with their largest lead coming at the 7-minute mark as Jasmine connected on his first triple of the game to make the score 28-19.
The Wolf Pack converted on just under half of their shot attempts in the first half, going 14-30 for 46.7% from the floor and 3-8 (37.5%) from the three-point line. Jasmine entered the break with five points, while Terry Smith Jr. (FR/Chicago, Ill.) added four baskets close to the rim and a free throw to lead the team with nine points as the Pack led 35-32.
Loyola came out attacking in the second half, with Eric Brown (JR/Homer, La.) scoring five quick points to extend the Wolf Pack lead to 40-32 just 37 seconds into the half. However, the hometown Knights would make a run of their own, completing a 12-4 stretch over the next five minutes to tie the game at 44.
After Middle Georgia scored four points in the next minute of action, Loyola responded with 10 unanswered points to regain the lead at 54-48 with 10:32 left to play.
The Knights would eventually tie the game again with 6:30 left on the clock, as Middle Georgia's Darrell White was fouled on a made shot close to the basket, then gave the home team a 59-58 lead after converting the and-one.
Middle Georgia would hold the lead for the next five minutes before Jasmine sunk a jumper at the right elbow to tie the game at 67 with just 1:02 left on the clock. Jasmine then collected a steal with 38 seconds left to give the Pack a chance at a go-ahead basket, but Smith wasn't able to hit on a jumper attempted from the free throw line.
On the following possession, the Knights missed a long three from the top of the arc and the two teams headed to overtime.
The Wolf Pack found themselves down five points early, as Middle Georgia's Tyrone Young connected on a free throw and a three-pointer from the right corner.
Chase Eckholdt (SR/Mandeville, La.) responded by hitting his only three-pointer of the game to cut the deficit to just two points at 72-70 with 2:02 remaining.
The Knights attempted to pull away in the final two minutes, extending their lead to 77-71 after Middle Georgia's Darrell White hit his second trey of the game. However, the Wolf Pack would not go away quietly, as Tensley Aldridge (FR/Denham Springs, La.) connected on a layup before Parker was fouled on a three-point attempt, converting on all three shots from the free-throw line.
Playing the foul game to stop the clock in the last minute, Loyola was put in good position after the Knights combined to miss three free throws in seven seconds of game time.
Down 82-79 with just 15 seconds remaining, Aldridge hit another shot next to the rim to cut the home team's lead to just one point. After the Loyola foul to stop the clock, White converted his two shots at the stripe, giving the Wolf Pack an opportunity to tie the game with 12 seconds on the clock.
However the Pack were unable to connect on a three point attempt, and the Knights escaped with the 86-81 win in overtime.
Smith and Eckholdt each had 14 points to lead the Wolf Pack in scoring in today's game. Smith nearly ended with a double-double, collecting nine rebounds. Eckholdt also filled up the box score, adding a game-high eight assists and seven boards.
Jasmine was a perfect 2-2 from three-point range while scoring 13 points and tallying eight rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Aldridge and Brown each scored 12 points, giving the Wolf Pack five players in double figures in scoring.
For the Knights, White and Roshaun Milline each had 21 points to lead all scorers. Marques Hinton was not far behind, scoring 19 points while dishing out five assists.
The next game for the Wolf Pack comes in the second half of a doubleheader against Martin Methodist, with the game scheduled to start at 7:30 in The Den.
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