Box Score The Wolf Pack got some payback on the Gold Rush after November's loss to Xavier
NEW ORLEANS – The eighth-ranked Loyola Wolf Pack got back in the win column Saturday, defeating the No. 14 Xavier Gold Rush 69-66 in The Den. The Wolf Pack hasn't played since November 26 when they lost on the road to Xavier for their first loss of the season, but Loyola won the rematch to improve their record to 11-1 overall.
The two teams battled back and forth for much of the early portion of the first half, as they shared the score three times in the first seven minutes. Loyola, however, was able to grab the 15-14 lead and push the score to 30-20 with six minutes left in the first.
Xavier wouldn't shy away, though. The Gold Rush finished the first half on a 17-6 run to take a 37-36 lead into the break.
Loyola only made one field goal through the first five minutes of the second half, as Xavier extended its lead to 47-38 quickly. During the next eight minutes of play, the Wolf Pack got baskets by six different players on their way to retake the lead, 52-50.
With 8:15 on the clock, Matt Maturah's 3-pointer put Loyola up 52-50, then the two teams traded field goals until Zach Wrightsil gave Loyola the lead for good, 56-55, with 5:36 left to play. Loyola slowed the pace in the second half, and Wrightsil, Maturah and Tim Cameron each made shots down the stretch to keep it a multi-possession game.
Another Top-25 matchup looms for Loyola, as No. 12 LSU-Alexandria travels to The Den Tuesday for a 3 p.m. contest.
Wolf Pack Head Coach Stacy Hollowell
"At Xavier, we didn't stop the ball in transition, we were over-extended defensively, and they were able to get into the gaps and make plays. In this game, we held them to two fastbreak points, got 24 points off of turnovers, and outscored them 36-20 in the paint. I thought Terry Smith came out and gave us a big spark right off the bat. In the second half, matchups got a little bit off and we put Andrew Stagni out there to stretch the floor and create a situation where we could play more in the middle of the floor. Xavier is a tough team and super talented, and I think they're probably a national tournament team. They had a nice game plan and stuck to it. At their place, we missed 14 free throws and only missed four here."
Pack Facts
Five members of the Wolf Pack scored in double figures, led by Tim Cameron's game-high 16. Zach Wrightsil (14), Terry Smith Jr. (12), Matt Matturah (season-high 12), and Myles Burns (10) also put up double digits.
Burns added six assists, three steals, and eight rebounds, four of which were offensive.
In 17 minutes, Smith collected seven boards and one steal while going a perfect 4-4 from the free-throw line.
Wrightsil hit two career milestones Saturday. After recording four assists, he now has 200 in his short Loyola career, which puts him 11 away from entering Loyola's Top 10. He also pulled down five rebounds and he now has 402 for his career. He needs 50 more to enter Top 10 for career rebounds.
Loyola outscored Xavier 36-20 in points in the paint. The Pack also capitalized off turnovers with 24 points off mistakes compared to just 13 for the Gold Rush.
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