Box Score Loyola's SSAC Championship Tournament run ends despite late second-half comeback effort.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The Loyola University New Orleans men's basketball team fell 80-69 to NAIA No. 16-ranked Dalton State in Friday's semifinal game at the Southern States Athletic Conference Championship tournament.
The Wolf Pack, who were the No. 3 seed in the tournament, move to 16-13 on the season at the conclusion of their SSAC Championship run, while the third-seeded Dalton State improves to 24-7 and advances to the finals.
The Loyola seniors got off to a good start in the contest, as a block by Robert White (SR/Los Angeles, Calif.) led to a three-pointer from First-Team All-SSAC selection Nick Parker (SR/Port Allen, La.) on the other end to get the Pack on the scoreboard first at the 19:21 mark of the first half.
Parker, Tre'Von Jasmine (JR/Edgard, La.), and Ethan Turner (JR/Covington, La.) would each hit a triple over the course of the next 10 minutes, but Dalton State grew a big first-half lead after putting together three separate runs of six, seven, and eleven straight points.
The Roadrunners would take a 14-point lead into halftime, the Pack trailing 32-18.
Loyola would not be put away easily, as they would come out of the halftime break firing, with Jasmine hitting another three-pointer followed by a Parker layup off of a Chase Eckholdt (SR/Mandeville, La.) assist. Scoring five quick points cut the Dalton State lead to single digits at 32-23, but the Roadrunners didn't take long to respond, increasing their lead at 39-24.
Josh Leaney (FR/Brisbane, Australia) subbed in and immediately made an impact, hitting a corner three to chip away at the lead, getting it down to 39-29 with 13:58 left in the half. But that 10-point deficit would be the closest Loyola would get for the rest of the game, as Dalton State gradually built back their lead.
The Pack's effort showed in the second half, never quitting as they ended the game on an 8-0 run, capped off by a steal and score from Terry Smith Jr with just a few seconds left. Loyola also grabbed 22 offensive rebounds, constantly creating second-chance opportunities with effort plays. One of the main differences came on free throws, where the Roadrunners converted on 24 of their 34 attempts compared to 8-16 for the Wolf Pack. Dalton State also shot 47.2% from the floor compared to 32.9% for Loyola.
Hitting four of his five three-point attempts, Turner led all Loyola scorers with 16 points. Jasmine, also with four triples, had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Parker was the other double-figure scorer for the Pack, contributing 12.
Dalton State's Reed Dungan led all scorers with 24 points, including 12-13 at the line. SSAC Defensive Player of the Year Carnilious Simmons finished with 16 points and 15 rebounds, as well as 3 blocks. Isaiah Box put up 12 points while Aaron Burress had 10.
You can keep up with the Pack by following Wolf Pack Athletics on Facebook at Facebook.com/LoyolaWolfPack, Twitter and Instagram @LoyolaWolfPack, and by checking out our website at LoyolaWolfPack.com.
